Read A Riddle
by sekainoowari
Summary: "A successful trickster does not need to lie to survive, because those who have been tricked will always protect him."  Shakespeare     What if it's the other way around? What if the trickster gets tricked in return by his own actions?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

This story is a side story to "Moments forever faded". As you will find supporting characters in both stories.

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><p><strong>Read a riddle<strong>

"_A successful trickster does not need to lie to survive, because those who have been tricked will always protect him." _(Shakespeare)

What if it's the other way around? What if the trickster gets tricked in return by his own actions?

**Chapter 1 **

**The 'me' that loves you**

Somewhere along the lines a question popped into her mind.

'_Is this his true self, how he appears in front of me?'_ She looked at the lines, as her expression turning sadder by the second. She sighed and closed the book. That sentence made her think of that person. It described him well because he was known as the trickster of Rikkai, Niou Masaharu.

Niou was often described as a swindler because of his reputation. He didn't hide it. He changed his appearance on a daily basis. His behavior could change every day. He could make a person believe anything he was at that moment. Her brother was friends with him. They had known each other since Junior High and they played tennis together.

Her brother had the reputation of being a gentleman. It's true. He was kind and polite to everyone. As funny as it seemed, he was too polite, even against his opponents during a tennis match. That is how he got the nickname 'The Gentleman'. The gentleman and the trickster would often be paired up for doubles. That's right, Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi.

"Hitomi! Stop reading that book and come down! We'll be late otherwise!" called out Hiroshi to his sister. The said girl rushed down the stairs, closing her bag.

"Okay, nii-sama!" she called to him. Hitomi stopped in front of her brother, sending a wide grin.

"Good morning, Hiroshi nii-sama." she said gently.

**Name: **Yagyuu Hitomi

**Age: **17

**Hair: **long/purple (the same color as her brother's)

**Eyes: **brown

**Siblings: **older brother Hiroshi (they're separated by almost a year but she's in the same year as him)

**Hobbies: **tennis, reading books, watching plays

Vice-captain of the tennis team; in her third year of high school (in the same class as Marui).

"Good morning. Let's go now." said Hiroshi, returning the smile.

The girl grabbed her tennis bag and followed her brother outside. Both siblings always walked to school together but there were times when she had to walk back home without him. Hiroshi was the library rep, so he had to stay in school longer than usual, sometimes even having to skip practice.

Hitomi often borrowed books to read and spent some time in the library. She didn't have to walk home alone though. Her brother was rather protective of her, so he made Niou walk her home. He knew about Niou's doings but he also knew him well enough to trust him with his sister. They all got along since Junior High and Hitomi got friendlier towards Niou. At first she was timid and distant towards him but as time passed she realized he's not that bad of a person.

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><p>The Yagyuu siblings got into the subway train. A few stops later, they got off. The school wasn't that far but still Hitomi enjoyed the whole trip.<p>

As they entered the school gate, she overheard several girls talking. A lot of rumors spread around the school but what she heard couldn't be defined as a rumor. What those girls were talking about was true because it was about him, Niou.

"Hey, I heard Niou Masaharu got his hands on a second year girl." said a girl with short brown hair.

"Yeah, poor girl. She totally fell for Niou's appearance and he took the chance to use her." said the other girl. The first girl who started the topic blushed and wailed.

"Ehhh! You mean-" the girl didn't finish because her friend understood. She nodded plainly.

"Huh, it seems he teamed up with two other guys from his class. They see this as some sort of an amusement - getting every girl in school." said the black haired teen.

"Oh… Then we'd better watch out." said the brown haired this time.

"They're not interested in us."

"Huh? Why's that?" asked the brown haired blinking abruptly.

"Haven't we already been swindled by that jerk?" retorted the black haired teen as they walked into their classroom.

Both of them were in their third year just like Hitomi. She and Hiroshi had to walk behind them for a long time to get to their classrooms. Both of them overheard the conversation. Hitomi gripped the handle of her schoolbag as she lowered her head. Her eyes reflected a sad glow, as she found it interesting to look at her feet making one step after the other. Her brother sighed, scratching his head.

"Ahh… Niou's at it again. Jeez, what the hell is he thinking? School has just started and he's already on the loose." said Hiroshi.

That's right. Only a couple of weeks had passed since the start of a new school year when Niou had already broken a record of dating a girl for less than a week. Hitomi made a depressing look, shrugging her head even deeper down, so that her eyes were covered with her bangs.

Hiroshi reached his classroom. He was about to walk in but stopped to wish his sister a nice day. Hitomi jerked her head to one side, giving a tiny smile.

"I'll see you later, nii-sama." she said.

Hitomi then turned around to walk to her classroom. Hiroshi smirked in return and walked inside. Hitomi really loved her brother, and looked up to him in everything he did. She didn't call him 'nii-chan' or 'nii-san' because she thought it was too soft to call him like that. She added the more respectful suffix because Hiroshi was the one who always took care of her and helped her with things. Their parents were rarely home, so Hiroshi was basically the one who raised her to be who she was.

Other people found the brother/sister love cute, wishing to have that kind of relationship with their own siblings. Hiroshi cared deeply for his sister. He had the sense of responsibility as the older brother, therefore he made sure his sister didn't feel mistreated or picked on. Though sometimes, he got too protective. He didn't even let other guys approach her or ask her on a date; not even when they had no ill intentions. Hitomi would get angry at times but then tended to lighten up because she knew he meant only the best for her.

Hitomi reached her classroom and walked inside. Some girls were chatting. She overheard them, hearing the same name again.

"Hey! Is it true that Niou-san asked you out?" asked Aya. She was the class rep and a real magnet for rumors. There wasn't one rumor that she didn't know or got to know of first.

"Y-Yeah. How did you know?" asked Azumi. She was really caught off guard by the question. She was new in Rikkai, so Hitomi really didn't know her that well but one thing was sure, she was cute and kind of timid. Aya just waved her palm, grinning widely.

"That's not important. So, when's the date?" she asked eagerly.

"Supposedly today." answered Azumi, making a distance from the impulsive girl in front of her.

Hitomi glanced in their direction but soon made her way to her desk next to the window… fast. She didn't want to hear anything more. It didn't frustrate Hitomi, rather she got even more depressed.

Hitomi dropped her bag on the table, as she sat down in her place. She instinctively rested her chin on her hand and stared out of the window. She didn't listen to what the girls had to chat about anymore. She didn't care.

"Good morning, Hitomi-chan." said a deep voice. Hitomi turned her head the direction and saw her classmate leaning on her table with a wide grin.

"Good morning, Bunta-kun." she answered.

The redheaded volley specialist just grinned back at her. Marui was one of the people she was close with. She knew all of her brother's teammates and hung out with them sometimes. However, Marui was the only one she could call as her best friend in Rikkai.

He was rather arrogant sometimes and silly, but nonetheless really sweet. He would always ask her to lend him her notes, and she would scold the redheaded sugar addict when he wouldn't bring them back in time. But he always made it up to her. He brought some cakes and other sweets specially picked by him, and would apologize in a child like manner. For that, Hitomi found him adorable.

"Why the long face?" he asked.

Hitomi frowned, jerking her head in Aya's direction. Marui blinked for a second, and then turned his attention to the chattering girls in the middle of the classroom.

"Ahh… Niou has done it again." commented Marui as Hitomi sighed.

"Yeah, seems like Niou-kun broke up with the previous girl." said Hitomi, finding the scenery outside of the window rather interesting. Marui turned his attention back to Hitomi. He smirked.

"More like he used her and then dumped her with no second thought. He's just as despicable as his two classmates." he said. Hitomi turned her head in a flash, her eyes wide open. Hitomi opened her mouth to say something but Marui beat her to it.

"Don't look at me as if you don't know." retorted Marui with a roll of his eyes.

He looked straight into her eyes seriously. Hitomi knew what he meant by that. Niou would not only just date them but rather mistreat them; make them lose something important… sleep with them. Hitomi lowered her head and her eyes became sad, as if her soul had perished into thin air. Marui then grinned at her, patting his best friend on the shoulder.

"Well, don't think about it too much, Hitomi-chan." he said, trying to be comforting.

"Un." Hitomi nodded slightly. At the same moment the bell rang, as Marui made his way towards his desk.

The lesson started but Hitomi didn't bother listening to the teacher. She didn't have to. It was literature, and they had to read Shakespeare out loud. Hitomi had read most of Shakespeare's works several times; she could recite every single quote out of his books. She just had that good of a memory. What actually occupied her mind was what Marui had said earlier.

'_They just don't know him that's all.__ So what if Niou-kun can be leveled with the other two guys? So what if he changes to a different person every time he approaches a girl? So what if he substitutes a girl within a week? So what if he mistreats them? So what if he-'_ Hitomi stopped in her mid rant, as her fingers gripped into her book, sinking her nails into the cover. The same line skipped through her mind that she had read in the morning.

'_Do I even know the real Niou Masaharu?'_ she asked herself.

She thought she knew him like no one else did because he treated her kindly, and found stuff to laugh with him about. Was that his true self or just one of his facades? Could she even trust the trickster?

A set of rushing footsteps could be heard through the hallway getting closer to Hitomi's classroom.

Hitomi sighed, hiding her eyes deeper under her bangs.

'_Even though I know what he's doing-'_ thought Hitomi.

The footsteps stopped in front of her classroom door.

'_-I still can't help but li-'_ the door of the classroom sprung open.

"I like you, Yagyuu Hitomi-san! Please, date me!" screamed out a boy, standing in the door.

He was breathing hard, as he looked seriously right across the classroom. His eyes stopped on the said purple haired teen, sitting next to the window. All of the teens in the classroom were startled by the sudden confession, as they started whispering to each other, sending glances at Hitomi.

Hitomi widened her eyes in shock but it only lasted for a mere second because this wasn't the first time she had to put up with this kind of situation. It was because of her brother, who intercepted the boys before they could even confess to Hitomi. She was just startled by the boy who cut her off in her thoughts. Hitomi sat there for a while, staring around the classroom.

The teacher blinked stupidly with his jaw open, dropping his charcoal. But he quickly regained his composure.

"Hey, you! What class are you from?" asked the teacher. The said boy opened his mouth to say something but Marui stood up, grinning widely at him.

"Man, you sure have the nerve to go this far. Could you leave, please? You're disturbing our lesson." said Marui calmly with the how-do-you-like-my-genius move look all over his face.

This should have been said by the class rep but because of his slight arrogant nature, he liked to take charge of the class rep's role. The boy twitched at his remark.

"And whose fault do you think it is that I'm here during a lesson? That devil brother of hers is always around-" Marui cut the boy in mid rant with an even wider grin.

"Try saying it to his face." said Marui, pointing behind him.

The boy blinked and turned around, only to find Hiroshi standing behind him with a blank face expression. The poor boy sweat dropped in horror.

"I'm kindly asking you to leave this classroom this instance. You're disturbing the environment with your uninvited appearance." Hiroshi politely asked the boy as he adjusted his glasses. Despite the calmness of his voice, there was something that brought fear from that stoic figure of his.

"Why the hell are you even here? You're class is at the other end of the hallway!" stated the boy. Hiroshi raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, that. I heard someone dashing through the hallway and excused myself from class. Just when I opened the door I heard you screaming into this classroom." said Hiroshi plainly. The whole classroom sweat dropped. The boy in front of him made a face, as he turned his eyes to the ground.

"I had a feeling you'd attempt something like this. I told you before - Hitomi will not date you! Now, would you follow me to the principle's office, Su-ba-ru-kun?" said Hiroshi, punctuating every syllable of the said boy's name.

He put his hand on Subaru's shoulder. The poor lad's face turned pale.

'_How the hell did he know my name?'_ thought Subaru in horror. He felt the menacing aura behind that polite smile, as he freaked out.

"Wait a second! You have no right to decide-" yet again Hiroshi silenced the boy with another smile that clearly said 'shut up if you know what's best for yourself.'vMarui scratched his head, sighing.

"Yagyuu, don't you think this is going a bit too far?" asked Marui.

"Hm?" Hiroshi turned his attention briefly to Marui.

"As much as I hate to admit it, that guy is right. Hitomi-chan has the saying here- Hey, are you even listening?" barked Marui the last sentence. Hiroshi ignored Marui's comment, as he started pulling the boy outside.

"Nii-sama, that's enough." said Hitomi, standing up. Hiroshi stopped, glancing at his sister. He frowned the second he noticed that she was a bit angry at him.

"I know you're doing this because I'm your sister but it's really unfair to others. I believe it's better if they hear a proper answer personally than be threatened by someone else." she said honestly.

Hiroshi shrugged for a second. She really didn't have to call it 'threatening'. It's as if stating that he's some sort of a stalker. Well, he did act like one when it came to his sister, he had to admit. Hiroshi let Subaru go, mumbling some sort of profanities under his breath. Hitomi sighed and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Subaru-san. I can't date you. I'm sure you'll find another girl that you will like." said Hitomi with a smile.

Subaru dropped his jaw open, as he stared at Hitomi for an entire 10 seconds before dropping his head dramatically. He started sulking. Hiroshi adjusted his glasses again and walked out of the classroom along with Subaru.

"Please, excuse us." he said, closing the door. Marui felt his jaw twitching as he stared at the door for a while.

'_Just what was the whole point of this?'_ he thought in disbelief.

The lesson finally continued in peace. Hitomi went back to staring out of the window. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened but this time, she just felt like saying it candidly. She didn't mind her brother intercepting anyone who had the intention to ask her out because she knew he had a keen eye on people; he knew how to judge them. So, she trusted him with it.

Even though Hitomi had the chance to date the most popular guys in school, she still gave up because she wasn't interested in them… because she already had someone she liked. No, loved.

Marui glanced at Hitomi, noticing that she had the same look on her face as always, when she heard about Niou. He had already guessed that the purple haired teen had feelings for the trickster but he didn't know how deeply she cared for him. He sighed, as he turned back to his book.

It would be troublesome if Hiroshi found out. Sure, the trickster and the gentleman were friends but Hiroshi would never accept Hitomi choosing someone like him. He would kill Niou if he would ever attempt anything with Hitomi. This would cause a dispute among the team, and they couldn't afford an internal break down before the Nationals! That's why Marui kept quiet, taking the role of a silent observer for the time being.

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><p>Tennis practice<p>

The girl's tennis team started their practice a bit earlier. They lost to Seigaku the previous year in the Kantou tournament, and didn't get to pay them back during the Nationals, so they decided to do some serious training. The girls were determined, especially their captain, Sato Akira. She was ready to pay back Koyumi Sayaka for last year's defeat, as she couldn't wait for the day when she would face her again.

Hitomi was doing some serving. She was the vice-captain, and helped out Akira quite often. They got along very well. There even were times when the two went shopping together too. They didn't consider each other to be best friends though; they were teammates and even rivals at some point.

Akira was strong. She could beat Hitomi most of the times but she wouldn't be satisfied by the result; she thought Hitomi could do a lot better. This made Hitomi reach higher, vowing that one day she will defeat Akira. She was a good captain but too soft compared to Sanada and Yukimura. The boys' training was harsher than theirs.

The girls took a break. Hitomi took her towel, as she softly brushed the sweat from her forehead. When she raised her eyes, she noticed Niou chatting with two other boys outside of the courts. She blushed for a mere second but then recognized the two boys next to him. They were his classmates, who had the delinquent type reputation, Fuuhara Hideki and Sakibara Kou.

Niou was standing the two boys on the other hand sat on the bench. Both Hideki and Kou were in the basketball club; they were the top regulars. They tended to skip classes, and weren't that great academically but they were popular, when it came to their sport.

Hideki was a kindhearted looking boy with light brown hair and brown eyes. He tended to be rather talkative, observing things carefully. From his looks, no one would ever say that he'd joined Kou; mistreating and humiliating every girl that caught their eyes. He was the type who hid behind his innocent looks.

Kou, on the other hand, was rather silent, and talked in a harsh manner, when it was needed. He wouldn't hesitate to insult a person. His looks said everything about him. He had black hair and grey eyes. His face expression alone showed that he's not the type to listen to orders. Some would say that he hated Niou at some point but nevertheless he hung around him because he thought that they had something in common.

Hitomi observed the threesome for a while but then she quickly casted her gaze to the ground.

"Hitomi-chan, bring me that set of balls, please!" called out Akira, pointing at the set of balls to Hitomi's right.

"Yes, captain!" answered Hitomi, as she turned to Akira first, then walking towards the appointed request.

Not far from the courts, the three teens were observing the female tennis players. Kou rested his left hand on the backboard of the bench. He raised an eyebrow.

"Heh… I just noticed that there are two girls that haven't been taken yet." said Kou. Hideki smirked at the comment, rubbing his chin in interest. His eyes sparkled in Akira's direction.

"Hm? That Akira girl looks so fine in a tennis uniform. What do you think, Niou?" Hideki glanced at Niou who was standing - slightly leaning, to be precise - on the flowerbed with his arms crossed.

"Well, kind of." he said completely uninterested in the topic. Hideki snorted at him.

"I guess you're not interested in those girls anymore, since some of them have been swindled already." said Hideki again. Kou sighed. He currently noticed Hitomi walking back to her tennis bag.

"You wouldn't mind if we start our fun with that captain, would you Niou?" asked Hideki.

He was rather talkative today. Niou didn't really listen to what Hideki had said; he was busy looking at Hitomi. His expression softened at the sight of the purple haired teen. Then, abruptly Niou stood up and took his bag.

"Do what ya want." he retorted. As he was about to walk away, Kou's words made him stop short.

"That Yagyuu Hitomi is very cute. I bet she would taste very sweet." said Kou with a malevolent grin. Niou twitched.

"Heh… Now that you mention it-" started Hideki but didn't get to finish because Niou shadowed the brown haired teen.

"Don't you ever even dare lay a finger on that girl." grunted Niou with his eyes narrowed.

He clearly glared at the boys, sending a deadly threat. Hideki sweat dropped, as turned away, catching onto Niou's tone of voice. Kou just 'hn-ed' at Niou, when he left his classmates for practice.

"My, my. It seems our dear Niou cherishes his friendship with that girl's brother." said Hideki, smirking evilly.

"Tsk, this is ridiculous." retorted Kou, more to himself than anyone else.

He stood up, walking in the other direction that Niou went off to. He got irritated by what Niou said to them. Kou knew that he shouldn't even think about trying to get Hitomi because she was protected by both sides: her brother and Niou.

Niou had already warned them before to stay away from her but only because he didn't want to put his friendship with Hiroshi on the line. They were also teammates, and it would be a pain to argue when the Nationals were ahead. It's BECAUSE they were teammates that Niou cared about this. However, this time Kou sensed that there was some other reason.

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><p>Niou was walking towards the locker room to change for practice, looking rather irritated. He remembered Hitomi's soft and gentle face when she was walking around the courts. He remembered her long and silky hair hanging down her shoulders. She had become more womanly for the past two years. He couldn't leave it unnoticed. Her popularity among guys rose rapidly during this time.<p>

The same sentence that Kou said not too long ago skipped his mind. He smacked his hand to his face, remembering his threat to the boys.

'_I'm starting to lose it.'_ he thought.

Niou gritted his teeth, as he then smashed the hand that covered his face against the wall. He stared at the ground, his face expression turning back to normal… slowly.

Since Niou had known Hitomi since Junior High, they had become close during that time. At first he thought he cared for her only because Hiroshi was his friend and he didn't want to cause a dispute between them. However, he realized even back then that he cared about her more than just his friend's sister. He cared deeply for her. He had thought that he would confess to her but he decided not to, he suppressed his desire because of what Hiroshi once said to him.

"**I will not let Hitomi date anyone I consider unworthy of her. Be it friend or teammate."**

These words shattered Niou's hopes. If he even tried to come closer to Hitomi more than just a friend, it could result in a disaster not only for their team or his relationship with Hiroshi but also it would break Hitomi's and Hiroshi's relationship.

'_She's your friend's sister, nothing more. Face it, Niou Masaharu.'_ he told himself quite often, usually in order to control himself.

Niou finally regained his senses, as he proceeded with his former intentions.

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><p>Both the girl's and boy's tennis teams ended their practice. Hitomi walked towards the boy's side to spare her brother from coming to her; the school gate was closer to that side anyways. They were supposed to walk home together. Hiroshi would rarely let her walk back alone. Besides that, they were just used to always walking together.<p>

When Hitomi reached the boy's side of the courts, she noticed that the regulars had already changed their clothes and so she sped up.

"Nii-sama!" called out Hitomi waving happily to her brother. Hiroshi turned his attention to her. He smiled, as she stopped in front of him.

"We're leaving first. Bye!" said Yukimura, leaving along with Sanada and Yanagi. Hitomi waved to them, causing Yukimura to smile gently at her. Hiroshi finally turned his attention to Hitomi.

"Sorry, Hitomi. I have to stay a bit longer today." he said. Hitomi blinked for a second. This wasn't the first time her brother had to stay after the club activities.

"Oh, that's okay, I'll just-" started Hitomi but Hiroshi didn't let her finish. He turned to Niou this time.

"Niou-kun, walk her home, will you?" asked Hiroshi. More like demanded but his voice wouldn't say that he did. Niou raised his hand as an agreement.

"Okay. Just give me a sec." he said, pulling his cell phone out.

He quickly typed something. He then put it back into his pocket. Hitomi realized that he probably had postponed his date with Azumi. She only now remembered what the girls in her class had talked about this morning.

Hiroshi adjusted his glasses as he left, leaving Hitomi to Niou. Hitomi sent him off with a wave, reminding him to come soon. She then noticed that Marui was still standing around.

"Why are you still here, Bunta-kun?" she asked. Marui popped his chewing gum.

"Ah, the brat told me that there is a new sweet's shop that he recently favored. So, he's showing it to me." said Marui.

With 'the brat' he meant Kirihara Akaya; Niou and Marui referred to him as 'brat'. They enjoyed teasing him. Just then Akaya walked out of the locker room.

"Sorry for making you wait, senpai. Oh, hi, Hitomi-san." greeted Akaya. Hitomi returned it with a smile and they soon parted ways.

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><p>Niou walked next to Hitomi, as silence remained for a while. Hitomi liked to walk with Niou. He would always cheer her up when she was feeling down, and his presence naturally drove away her worries from school and the rumors she heard there.<p>

Sometimes she wondered if she was a bother to Niou; he would put away any business, following Hiroshi's request – or more like orders - to walk her home. Niou would say that it's fine because he lived not far from them. That was true. He only needed to walk 10 minutes more to reach his place.

Hitomi gripped the handle of her tennis bag. She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that my brother uses you when he wants." she said timidly. Niou sighed silently.

"Don't worry. It's no biggy." he said, not looking at his companion. Hitomi widened her eyes, as she spun her head his direction. She stopped, slightly blocking his way.

"What about you-" she started but then swallowed the words.

She almost burst it out. She almost mentioned his date with Azumi. Niou stopped in his pace and blinked. Hitomi cursed herself, as she tried to find something to look at. Her eyes searched for a suitable object to divert her attention. It made her nervous when Niou stared at her. She tried to keep herself from blushing. Niou smirked gently, as he took a few steps closer.

"What about 'what'?" he asked. Hitomi didn't answer. Niou chuckled at the purple headed girl in front of him.

"You don't have to worry about it, Hitomi-chan." he said cheerfully.

Hitomi glanced back at him. She opened her mouth to say something but Niou put his hand on her head.

"Besides, I'm not doing it unwillingly." he said with a smile all over his face.

Despite her efforts, a faint shade of pink appeared on Hitomi's cheeks. Niou patted her head, signaling her to walk again. It was true what he said. He didn't escort Hitomi unwillingly. If that was the only time he could spend with her alone, then he would gladly put away all urgent matters, storm off to her… For her only he would go this far.

They got into the subway train. It was kind of full, since a lot of people got off work and headed home. Hitomi and Niou didn't push through further, since they needed to get off pretty soon. So they chose to stand right in front of the exit. They were currently discussing how gluttonous Marui actually was. Niou commented that he might actually turn into a blob if he keeps up to this kind of lifestyle.

Hitomi felt someone's hand slipping under her skirt, slowly reaching towards her buttocks. She blushed a great deal, making a face of embarrassment. Niou noticed it. Before things could get ugly, he withdrew the culprit's hand, holding it tightly. Hitomi spun around, as she noticed a man in a suit with glasses, staring at the silver haired teen confused. Niou narrowed his eyes and stared at the man seriously.

"You know, in China people would get their hand chopped off for stealing or **sexual harassment.**" said Niou his voice lowering by a tone.

As he punctuated the last two words properly, the man in front of him sweat dropped, yanking his hand from Niou's grip, appearing horror-struck. Niou then smiled innocently. This was the last string for the man to freak out and stand elsewhere.

"I believe that was in Saudi Arabia, Niou-kun." commented Hitomi. Niou just grinned back at her.

"I know that. Just wanted to see his reaction, hearing the nearest country." said Niou innocently. Hitomi blinked at him but then sent a 'thank you' smile.

"Stand here, Hitomi-chan. It's safer like this." he said again, gently pushing her against the door, with her back to it.

He leaned over her, as this kind of position made Hitomi blush in all shades of pink. She tried to prevent herself from staring at him; she glanced in between, when trying to look at something or someone else. Niou noticed her nervous behavior, as he thought that she was flustered because there were a lot of people there. She was completely oblivious to his action.

Niou smirked as he came closer to her face. He just couldn't help but tease the purple headed girl. Hitomi widened her eyes in surprise, as she blushed even more, feeling her body losing all power.

"W-Wait… N-Niou-kun…" Hitomi fumbled with her words but felt her tongue losing its function. Niou ignored her as he went even closer.

"I thought I told you, you can call me 'Masaharu'." he said in a whisper.

Hitomi lost her breath, his face getting closer. He almost touched her nose, when Hitomi closed her eyes, sensing his lips near hers. Five seconds passed but she didn't feel anything. Hitomi slowly opened her eyes and noticed Niou grinning widely, holding back his laugh. He chuckled. Hitomi's eyes widened as heat rushed to her cheeks from anger.

"Haha! Sorry, Hitomi-chan. I just couldn't help it." said Niou, as he suppressed his laughter, it becoming fainter.

He stood further from Hitomi now, who puffed her cheeks, turning her look away, with anger written on her face.

"Niou-kun, you idiot. I hate it when you do something like this, it's not funny!" she mumbled, as Niou chuckled again, patting her head.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Promise. You know that I seriously wouldn't do something like that to you." he said, calming the girl in front of him down.

Hitomi's heart cracked at his last sentence. She glanced sideway at him, her eyes becoming sadder but she didn't let him notice. For a moment there, she actually wanted him to do it … to kiss her.

Niou smiled at Hitomi. He then pulled her out of the subway train. They walked again for a while before reaching Hitomi's house. Hitomi slowed her pace down. Niou did the same. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted to spend some more time with him, just like this… Truthfully, Niou felt the same. He intentionally submitted to her change of pace.

Hitomi wanted him to act sincerely towards her, not hiding his true self. She wondered if the one next to her was the real Niou Masaharu. Well, one thing was for sure, she never had seen him act like this towards other girls. They were friends and she figured that he had another fixed way to act towards those kinds of people. They reached her house. Niou smiled softly to her.

"See ya tomorrow, Hitomi-chan." he said, waving in goodbye.

"O-Oh- Sure. Take care." she said, fumbling again.

She didn't get to thank him for walking her home. Hitomi watched his back, as she then took a few steps towards the disappearing figure. She reached her hand; she wanted to ask him to stay for dinner maybe but then restrained herself. She thought that maybe she could stop him from going to that girl, to a new girl… Azumi.

Hitomi dropped her hand, as she kept on staring at Niou walking away. It pained her to even think that he had another girl, that he touched them… She just wanted him to look at her as more than a friend. She wanted to know what the trickster had in mind, what was in his heart. Hitomi knew though. She knew that he will never look at her like at an ordinary girl.

'_To Niou Masaharu… to the man__ I love I'm just his best friend's sister.'_

Hitomi got upstairs into her room. She didn't bother changing. She just dropped herself on her bed. She lay on her side like a lifeless doll for a while. She then took her pillow and hugged it. She stared at one point of her wall, wondering if Niou had already met up with his current girlfriend.

* * *

><p>As Niou took a turn around the corner, he put his hand against the nearest wall, leaning against it, searching for support. His eyes showed a dazed off glow. He had flashbacks of Hitomi; her smiling face, her sweet voice, her soft silky hair, her beautiful brown bright eyes… He just couldn't stop the flashbacks from penetrating his mind. He knew he had to stop it, forget it.<p>

He then pushed his back against the wall. Staring up at the sky first, he made a sorrowful and pained expression. He then slowly lowered his head, placing his palm onto his face, anguish reflected in his eyes.

'_Ah, no matter how many times I imagine Hitomi instead of those girls, it's still not enough. How can I quench this thirst in my heart? Hitomi…'_ he thought, as he reached his hand up to the sky.

Niou then closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as an effort to control himself; pain and suffering written all over his face. He balled his hand into a fist and let his fingers sink into his palm.

'_Get your act together, Niou Masaharu.'_ he chanted.

He needed to calm down, and erase the real Niou Masaharu for the rest of the evening. He only let a few people see his true self; Hitomi was one of them. Niou finally took a deep breath, letting out a long sigh. His eyes still closed, he finally managed to calm down. He put his hand in front of his face once more.

As Niou pushed himself from the wall, he slowly removed his hand from his face, opening his eyes. He had changed, his eyes were different. His expression turned into full confidence, being slightly on the arrogant side. He smirked and loosened up, showing a small mischievous grin.

"Well, let's see how Atobe's charms work on her then." Niou said evilly, walking towards his date – no, _prey _– to be precise.

**Next chapter**

Marui has a fateful encounter the other day, which doesn't let him forget a melody, played that evening… "It's just that your eyes become scary that way, and it's not the usual Niou-kun that I know."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Aftertaste of a sweet desert called 'melody'**

On the next day Marui was walking down the hallway towards his classroom. It was early morning and the first lesson was about to start. Hitomi noticed the red headed volley tensai.

"Bunta-kun!" she called out but no response came from the said boy. Hitomi blinked and looked suspiciously at Marui. This wasn't like him to ignore her. She fastened her pace.

Marui was deep in thought and only one thing swirled in his mind. He just couldn't erase that tune out of his mind that he heard the previous day on his way home with Akaya.

**"_Ne, __how'd __you __like __it, __senpai?" __asked __Akaya __Marui, __as __they __were __walking __through __a __park __passed __a __small __river. __Marui __popped __his __chewing __gum._**

**"_Ah, __I __must __say, __you __have __good __taste __buds, __brat."__said __Marui._**

**"_Eee__… __You __think __so? __Thanks ,__senpai."_**

_**Just then Marui stopped in his pace. He heard a beautiful and peaceful sound coming from his right side. He turned his head in that direction and spotted a group of people standing around, blocking the source of the sound. A beautiful sound of a violin dispersed any other noise and gave the right feeling to the moment. The sound was so soft that Marui couldn't take his attention from it. **_

**"_Marui-senpai. __Oi, __Marui-senpai!"__Akaya __called __out __a __bit __louder __than __the __previous __times. __Marui __snapped __out __of __it __and __turned __his __attention __to __the __confused __kouhai._**

**"_What?" __asked __Marui._**

**"_Is __something __wrong, __senpai?"_**

**"_No, __nothing. __Let's __go." __said __Marui __and __they __started __walking __again. __Marui __glanced __towards __the __crowd __once __more __and __he __got __a__s light __glimpse __of __the __one __playing __such __a __wonderful __tune. __He __could __only __spot __the __instrument __itself __and __a __ray __of __light __shining __on __the __silky __light __aqua __green __strands __of __hair, __swaying __to __the __melody __of __the __wind._**

Marui frowned at himself, as he scratched his head. He just heard the same melody over and over again. He was starting to think that he's going nuts! It was just some stupid violin for crying out loud!

"Bunta-kun! Oi, Bunta-kuuun! Volley tensai Marui Bunta!" Hitomi called out and Marui finally snapped out of it. He turned his head to his left, spotting the purple haired teen with a frown on her face. He blinked.

"W-what is it, Hitomi-chan?" asked Marui.

"I've been calling out to you from way over 'there'-" she pointed to the end of the hallway. "-and you only reacted when I called you a tensai." she said still with a slight frown. Marui sweat dropped.

"R-really?" he asked, putting a slight grin on his face.

"'Well, aren't my moves genius-like?' Was what you just thought, right?" said Hitomi with sarcasm, imitating his voice.

Marui turned his head away and grinned. He really did think that. Hitomi let out a sigh.

"Jeez, you're too full of yourself sometimes, you know that. That kind of attitude won't get you any fans-"

"Hey! Don't level me with Atobe." retorted Marui. Hitomi smirked at him.

"Hai, hai. By the way, what happened to you?" she asked with her usual cheerful expression.

"Huh?"

"You spaced out a while ago. Did something happen?" Hitomi asked again, this time looking at the red head intently. Marui frowned yet again as he turned his head to face forward.

"Huh? Oh, not really. Just had some things on my mind, that's all." he stated simply.

Hitomi grinned evilly and rubbed her chin. Now she was sure that something had happened; he was acting very much out of character today. She kept it to herself though and didn't bother teasing him, since he didn't want to talk about it.

Marui started hearing the same tune again. This was getting on his nerves. It seemed to him like the song was set on 'repeat' and it just had to pop out again. Marui stopped and lifted his head. He widened his eyes when he saw the same light aqua green long hair, swaying from side to side in front of him. The melody kept on playing in his mind while he observed the girl in front of him.

She was looking around the hallway and hesitated to stop someone because the passerby's were in a hurry. She seemed to be lost, her expression showed that she needed some help. She had long hair, slightly wavy at the end. Her dark golden eyes showed a soft glow.

Marui observed her for a while, the melody slowly disappearing from his head. Hitomi also stopped and looked at the girl. She figured that the girl was new because she had never seen her before. Marui finally got back to his senses, when he noticed that the girl was looking in his and Hitomi's direction. She made her way to both teens.

"Anoo, could you please tell me where class 3-C is? I'm new here and I got lost on my way. I'm really in a hurry." she said politely. Marui widened his eyes, as he instinctively pointed behind him.

"Just go all the way to the end and turn left. It's the second door on your left." he said.

"Thank you." said the girl and gave a rushed bow.

She then dashed through the hallway following the directions given to her. Marui followed her with his eyes. He got the same glimpse of the swaying hair, as he continued staring in the direction for a while.

'_That's __Niou's __class.'_ he thought to himself.

Hitomi jerked her head towards Marui and just then the bell rang. She went up ahead. Marui followed the purple head after a few seconds.

The red-headed volley tensau sat at his desk and a deep thought sunk into his mind. He rewind yesterday's and this morning's encounter with the girl. He tried to put them together and thought that that girl might be the same person.

'_Nah, __can't __be.__My __mind __must __be __playing __tricks __on __me.'_ he thought, as he quickly shook the thought off.

Lunch break

"Mattaku, that Bunta-kun. He just goes ahead and leaves me alone for lunch, dashing like a maniac because of his favorite strawberry pie. He knows I hate eating alone. Jeez…" ranted Hitomi to herself with a frown all over her face. She was stomping through the hallway, as she then sighed.

"Ou, well, might as well ask nii-sama to have lunch with me." she mumbled, arriving at Hiroshi's classroom.

She opened the door and blinked abruptly. Hiroshi was talking to the girl that she and Marui had encountered earlier in the morning. Niou was standing not so far away from them because the two had some things to discuss. Hitomi made her way towards the teens. She stopped near Niou.

"Nii-sama?" she asked. Niou spotted the purple head next to him and grinned widely.

"Hey, Hitomi-chan. You're just on time, we were about to hit for lunch. Wanna come along?" he asked patting her head.

He was rather close to her and his proximity made her blush. Niou then pulled her closer to her brother. Hiroshi and the new girl turned their attention towards her.

"Ah, Hitomi. Did you want something?" her brother asked gently.

"Not really, just wanted to know if you already had lunch," she answered timidly.

"No, not yet. What happened to Marui-kun?" he asked. Hitomi turned away and sweat dropped.

"It's Tuesday." she said plainly. Niou scratched his head.

"Ah, right." said Hiroshi. Both Niou and Hiroshi knew what this meant: Marui's favorite pie in the cafeteria and he would kill anyone who dared to touch it.

"I bet that sugar freak has his hands full with cupcakes and pies." mumbled Niou.

Somewhere on the way from the cafeteria Marui sneezed. _'This__is__weird.'_ he thought.

"Ma, whatever. Tres bien." he said and sniffed his favorite pie.

Back to Hitomi and co.

"Forget about him. Umm, nii-sama, this is…" pointed Hitomi at the aqua green haired teen. Hiroshi adjusted his glasses.

"Nii-sama?" the girl questioned and looked at Hitomi's brother.

"Ah, this is Kobayashi Midori, she's a new student in Niou-kun's class." said Hiroshi. Hitomi blinked at her brother and then looked at Midori. Hiroshi then turned back to Midori.

"This is my younger sister Hitomi. She's in class 3-B," he said introducing the two girls. Midori turned to Hitomi and greeted her with a soft smile.

"Nice to meet you, Hitomi-san." she said. Hitomi returned it with a welcoming grin.

**Intro**

**Name:**Kobayashi Midori

**Age:**17

**Hair:**long/wavy at the end/aqua green

**Eyes:**dark gold

**Hobbies:**playing the violin; caring for homeless cats

**Likes:**strawberries; red flowers

**End**

"Can we get back to our topic, Kobayashi-san?" reminded Hiroshi. Midori turned back to Hiroshi.

"Sure. I was wondering if I could still sign up for the special sector of the library." said Midori. Hitomi blinked.

"Library?" she questioned. Niou gave a tiny grin.

"Ah, I was supposed to give her a tour around the school and she was curious about the library, so I took her straight here." he said. The two teens stood a few steps away from Hiroshi and Midori.

"Huh. What is the 'special sector'?" asked Hitomi. Niou scratched his had.

"Not so sure… but I think it's where books of high value are kept. You can get access to it, if you sign some papers and stuff. However, the sign up is over and unless you manage to bribe Yagyuu, access to the section is not possible." Niou finally finished his explanation. Hitomi blinked for a second in awe; she had never heard Niou talk so much before. She then sweat dropped.

"I tried once; he refused right off the bat," Hitomi admitted. "Nii-sama is impossible to bribe."

She remembered the time when she tried to bribe her dear brother with his favorite pudding, so that he would do some sort of math problem for her. She just sucked at that one problem.

"Yeah, and perverted to an extent as well…" Niou mumbled. Hitomi didn't quite catch the last bit and glanced at Niou.

"Huh? What was that?" she asked. Niou cleared his throat, sweat dropping.

"And that's what makes the gentleman perfect." he 'corrected' himself. Niou sighed silently.

He remembered last year, when he asked Hiroshi to write an essay for him in Philosophy because he really bad at that subject and he hated the teacher to the bone. Hiroshi tried to diss him but Niou bribed him with porn magazines. He wasn't so sure it would work but Hiroshi took them (bad Hiroshi) and wrote Niou his essay. Niou was shocked at this at first but then ignored it. They were guys after all…

When Niou asked him to give those magazines back, Hiroshi pulled out a box with ashes and scraps of burnt paper in it.

Niou sweat dropped and stared in shock. Just when Hiroshi was about to walk away, Niou grinned evilly.

**"_You __opened __at __least __one __of __them." __stated __Niou. __Hiroshi __shrugged __and __cleared __his __throat._**

**"_So __you __did." __said __Niou, __smiling __mischievously. __Hiroshi __blushed __slightly __and __shrugged __away._**

Niou's flashback ended and he felt his jaw twitching with a slight grin. He thought that Hiroshi was actually as sadistic as Fuji at some point. His train of thought was cut short as Midori approached him.

"We can go get some lunch and continue with the tour, Niou-san." she said politely. Niou nodded and threw a questioning look towards Hitomi. She grinned in return. At least she could spend some time with Niou.

"Are you coming, nii-sama?" she asked. Hiroshi adjusted his glasses.

"I'll catch you later. You go ahead." he said. Hitomi agreed to it with a soft smile. Niou's eyes softened at the purple head. He liked it when she smiled like that. It brought a glow into his eyes.

The three teens walked down the hallway. Hitomi acquainted Midori with the most important places in school. She helped Niou out a lot. At some point, a thought skipped in her mind that Niou might set his sights on Midori but she quickly brushed the thought away; she just wanted to have her happy moment with her loved one by her side.

"Ah, I didn't thank you and your friend earlier this morning for showing me the directions. Really, thanks." said Midori with a wide grin. Hitomi jerked her head to one side and gave a light smile.

"I didn't really help. You should be thanking, Bunta-kun." said Hitomi.

"Huh, so that's the read head's name." Midori chuckled. She found the name a bit funny but then laughed at herself. Her name wasn't better. It pointed out the meaning of her hair color.

The three teens stopped abruptly when they saw Marui in front with his hands full of packs of different cakes and pies. Midori spotted him at the last moment and managed to stop right before they bumped into each other. Marui didn't quite see the girl in front of him and one pack fell to the ground.

"Speak of the devil." mumbled Niou. Hitomi chuckled at the comment. Marui stared at the aqua green haired teen. When she gave him a smile, he slightly blushed because he had never seen a person sending such a sincere and gentle look. Midori bent down and picked up the fallen pack beside her feet.

"I didn't catch your full name this morning. I'm Kobayashi Midori, class 3-C." she said. Marui blinked for a second. For some reason he lost his breath at that moment.

"Marui Bunta… class 3-B." he said hesitantly at first. Midori grinned widely and jerked her head to one side.

"Nice to meet you, Marui-san. Thank you for your help this morning." She said. Marui widened his eyes for a second.

"Ah, no problem. If you need any help, just come by any time." he said but then perked up at his last sentence. Midori chuckled slightly at that.

"Sure, I will. Here." Midori put his pack back to the very top of the pile in Marui's hands. "Be careful, Marui-san." warned Midori and followed Niou and Hitomi.

"Ah." he mumbled more to himself than her. Marui stared into the ground for a while but then turned around and watched the three teens making their way through the hallway. His eyes most likely followed Midori than the other two.

Marui frowned mentally and started walking again. He cursed himself for saying something he usually wouldn't.

'_If __you __need __any __help, __just __come __by __any __time?' __Just __what __was __that, __Marui __Bunta? __What __the __hell __is __wrong __with __me?'_ he thought. He then stopped and remembered the new girl's soft expression. He figured that she was not only good looking but she just had this kind of atmosphere around her that gave kindness and tenderness. He just felt that Midori had a sincere and soft heart.

'_Such __a __beautiful __person__…__'_ he thought and smirked to himself. He really didn't know anything about her but kind of liked her already. Still, he thought he shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Tennis practice

Hiroshi was paired up with his sister and they were playing against Marui and Yanagi. Hitomi was good at tennis; she could beat Marui and sometimes even Jackal but she had to put some effort to it. Hitomi and her brother were a good doubles pair. They were siblings and they knew each other's every single move, that's why they were hard to go against.

During the first half of the match Marui's concentration was on top but then his mind wandered off someplace else. He started remembering the previous day again. Why the hell was he thinking about it right now? Why couldn't he just forget it? This started to piss him off and his playing style showed his state of mind. Hitomi noticed his strange behavior.

They started a rally and it was a long one. Hitomi smashed the ball and Marui was supposed to return it with his Rising shot but he froze half way and let the ball pass him. The reason for this was that he heard the same sound of a violin. It was the same tune. He was starting to think that he's going crazy!

Marui stared at his racket until Yanagi came up to him.

"What's wrong, Marui?" the master asked. Marui perked up at his question and sighed, wiping his sweat off with his wrist band.

"Nothing. I just got distracted." he said. He could still hear the violin. Was he really going nuts?

"Then get yourself in the game." said Yanagi. With him as Marui's partner, they shouldn't be losing, even if they're against the Yagyuu's.

Meanwhile, Hitomi and Hiroshi exchange glances and started their counter attack. Marui lost one point after the other because he was distracted too much. For some reason the sound of the violin didn't stop, more like he felt that it came from somewhere not far away.

"Game and match! Yagyuu siblings, 6 games to 4!" announced the referee. Marui missed the last smash by Hitomi and that caused Yanagi and Marui the loss.

"Che, damn this." grunted Marui, stomping off to the bench. He grabbed his towel and started wiping off his sweat.

Just then Hitomi came up to the slightly pissed red head and sat next to him. She observed Marui for a while. He really wasn't himself today, which bothered her. If something happened, she would be glad to help out her best friend. Marui frowned and started twitching. The song kept on repeating and he just couldn't erase it. He twitched. Hitomi blinked at the volley specialist.

"Bunta-kun, are you okay?" she asked. Marui felt a vein pop on his forehead. as he pushed the towel into his bag.

"Eh, I'm fine." he grunted under his breath. Hitomi sighed.

"You don't seem to be. Tell me, what's wrong?" she asked. Marui took a deep breath.

"Well, I would be fine, if my mind wouldn't go nuts over some stupid song that keeps on playing in my head the whole day long." He barked, letting out everything in one go. Hitomi sweat dropped and made a distance from the red head. She faked a smile fast.

"Song? What song?" she asked.

"Ah, you wouldn't hear it anyway. Some violin tune." he said irritated.

"Huh, you mean the violin that started playing during the second half of our match?" asked the purple head and pointed with her finger to the sky. Marui turned his head in a flash towards her and blinked.

"So, you can hear it, too?" he asked in astonishment.

A little scared of his intensity, she nodded hesitantly. It's true, the violin started playing during that time. She had figured that it came somewhere from the rooftop of the school building. It didn't surprise her because she knew that the music classrooms were under construction during the semester break and they would be closed until the next day.

"Huh, I thought I was going nuts." mumbled Marui sighing in relief. Hitomi grinned slightly.

"You said you were hearing it the whole day long. Something happened to you yesterday. Now tell me." said Hitomi, as she leaned closer to Marui. He sweat dropped and leaned away from her. She was scary like this. He just felt those brown orbs piercing through his mind and getting any hidden and classified information. Marui turned away in a flash taking his bag.

"Sorry, Hitomi-chan, some other time. I have to get back to practice." said Marui and left the purple head burning in curiosity. Hitomi smirked and then sighed.

"Ou, well. It's his business anyway." muttered Hitomi to herself. She was about to walk back to the girl's side, when Niou put his hand on her head and stopped her.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked. Hitomi turned around and spotted Niou. She couldn't help but blush.

"Hey, Hitomi-chan. If you're not tired, let's do some swings." he said grinning at the purple head. Hitomi shook off her nervous state and smiled at him. She lowered her eyes slightly.

"Sure, I don't mind. Only, don't change your playing style to that of nii-sama." she said. Niou blinked for a second.

"Huh? Why?" he asked. Hitomi hid her eyes deeper under her bangs.

"It's just that your eyes become scary that way and it's not the usual Niou-kun that I know." said Hitomi. Niou widened his eyes. He didn't mean to scare her before; he just wanted to help her to become better. Around her he would always be his usual self but never had he thought that Hitomi would've gotten disappointed about it.

Niou stared at the purple head in front of him, who didn't raise her eyes and merely stared into the ground. Niou's hand moved instinctively towards her face. He wanted to touch her face and brush through it softly. He almost touched her cheek with his fingers when - "Hitomi-chan! Come over here!"

It was Akira calling. Niou perked up and withdrew his hand in a flash. Hitomi turned towards Akira.

"Hai, buchou!" she answered. She turned back to Niou and smiled lightly. Niou had already turned back to his usual self.

"Gomen, Niou-kun. Maybe next time." she said and turned to leave. Niou returned the smile and watched the purple haired teen dash towards the other courts. He looked at his left palm and then frowned mentally. He reminded himself that he should forget about her. He just had to deny his feelings. _Bury __them __deep __inside __and __just __play __your __part __as __her __brother's __friend!_ He sighed and told himself, no matter how much he didn't want to.

End of the practice

"Tarundoru! Who left that mess?" hollered Sanada. A group of regulars were outside their locker room, already ready to head home.

"Ma, ma. Sanada, blood pressure, blood pressure." Yukimura reminded and tried to calm the fuku-buchou down but it clearly wasn't working.

"I'm asking, who the hell left that mess in our locker room?" he barked again. Niou sighed.

"Who do you think eats so many sweets in one go?" he asked with sarcasm, for which he received a glare from the fukubuchou. Just then Hitomi and Marui walked towards them. Niou pointed at the red head with a bored look. Sanada glared in that direction and a mass of flames appeared behind him. Meanwhile, Marui was telling Hitomi some sort of joke.

"Marui, tarundoru!" yelled Sanada pointing at the said boy. Marui stopped and sweat dropped.

"Geh, this is not good." he frowned and made a face. Hitomi stopped as well and blinked stupidly. Sanada stomped in anger towards Marui. He stopped right in front of him, only a few centimeters separating the teens. Marui shrugged instinctively and looked at his fuku-buchou in fear.

"Marui, clean up the mess you left right now." Sanada ordered.. Marui shrugged and made a face of horror. He tried his best to fake an innocent expression.

"Ma, Sanada, I'll do that tomorrow. I need to handle some things, so I'll head off first." said Marui. Niou whistled and looked up at the sky.

"Puri. Sweets shop…" he wailed. Marui twitched.

"Shut up, Niou!" he barked at the silver haired teen. Hitomi sweat dropped at the scene. Sanada shadowed the red head and directed a death glare at him intently.

"I'm banning you from any food that has sugar content in it," grunted Sanada.

"Wait a sec! You know I need to keep up my sugar level for stamina-"

"Tarundoru! I don't want to hear the word 'sugar' for a week!" yelled Sanada.

Marui blinked stupidly. "Hey, I said I'll clean the place tomorrow! No need to exasperate," he said. He really didn't get Sanada's anger outport.

Sanada twitched. "Because of your mess, my cap is covered in whipped cream!" He barked, showing his cap to the self proclaimed volley tensai. Marui sweat dropped and sighed. The onlookers did the same.

"Sanada…" Yukimura cut in with a sigh.

"I can't believe Genichiroh snapped on Marui because of his cap," mumbled Yanagi. Hiroshi simply adjusted his glasses without a word.

"Puri," said Niou.

"How lame…" commented Akaya and Jackal managed to whack the kid on the head.

Marui stared at Sanada before looking at his cap and then back again. He shrugged even more when Sanada intensified his glare.

"Marui, don't test my patience," he grunted. Marui shrieked when Sanada raised his hand to bitch slap the poor teen. The redhead immediately pulled Hitomi in front of him and made her face Sanada.

"Hitomi-chan, save me!" he begged from behind. Hitomi looked backwards and blinked at him. Sanada was really scary right now and Marui just didn't have the guts to face him.

"Bunta-kun…" she started but Marui dug deeper behind her back, holding the purple head's shoulders.

"Please, Hitomi-chan. I'll treat you tomorrow for lunch," he added, hoping his friend would come to his rescue.

"Marui!" hollered Sanada. Hitomi sighed at the said boy and then in a flash turned her head to the pissed Sanada. She made a shiny smile.

"Ma, don't be so angry, Sanada-san. Bunta-kun said that he'll clean it up tomorrow. So, lighten up. You look good without your cap anyway," she commented and continued smiling. Sanada blushed at the compliment and stared at the purple haired teen; she was just too cute right now. He was knocked out by Hitomi for quite a while.

The other regulars blinked and raised their eyebrows. They had never seen their fuku-buchou act that way.

"Hou, so Genichiroh is weak against a girl," Yanagi observed. This new piece of information was really interesting in his opinion.

"A new target has showed up. Elimination mode: on," Hiroshi muttered, eyeing Sanada like a hawk, flashing his glasses. He wouldn't let anyone touch his sister, not even Sanada.

Marui finally worked up the courage to glimpse up from behind of Hitomi. "Wow, Hitomi-chan, I didn't know your special charms work even on Sanada." Hitomi just sighed. Sanada finally cleared his throat, still blushing.

"Beware of the manly Sanada hormones," Niou muttered and Sanada blushed even more.

He turned towards Niou in a flash. "Tarundoru, Niou!" He hollered and pointed at the trickster. Niou rolled his eyes and ignored him. Just then Marui noticed the chance and dashed with everything he had as far as he could.

"See ya, guys!" He called from quite a distance and that brought Sanada's attention to the red haired teen.

"Marui Bunta!" he screamed. Hitomi sweat dropped and a slight grin appeared on her face.

"Saa, Hitomi, let's go," Hiroshi spoke, pulling his sister with him. Away from Sanada.

"Huh. Bye, Sanada-san!" she waved quickly and followed her brother. The regulars scattered one after the other, leaving Sanada to his anger manifestation.

"Puri." Niou walked passed Sanada.

"Take it easy, Genichiroh." Yanagi advised and patted his friend on the shoulder. Sanada blinked in confusion. Did they really have the guts to leave him just like that?

"Cheers, fuku-buchou." Akaya grinned. Jackal just walked away.

"Ma, Sanada, see you tomorrow" Yukimura smiled and left, leaving Sanada blinking. He started boiling with anger and let out a scream that startled the whole school.

Marui was on his way back home, walking down the same street with Akaya like the previous day. He had a packet in his hand. He had to buy some ingredients to the cakes that he specially made. Those were the source for his stamina. He also bought a cake that he favored in the shop that Akaya showed him. It was for Hitomi as a 'thank you' for saving him from hell itself, in other words - Sanada.

He was passing the same place, where he heard the violin playing. There was a rather big crowd there last time but there were less people now and he could finally see the one who almost made him go nuts over the day. He took a few steps to the side, eyes widened but didn't go any further. He didn't want the person to notice him.

Midori was playing her violin peacefully. It was a different melody this time but still as beautiful as the last. Marui stared at the girl a while. For some reason he liked what he saw; her dark golden eyes were half closed and he could make out only a slight glow in them. Her hands moved softly, giving the same feeling to the sound. Her hair swayed to the light breeze. A light shone on Midori and that light was what he had imagined would surround her. Warm and gentle…

Marui looked on for a while. He then noticed that the people around her were placing some money into her violin case. He got a bit curious. She didn't seem to come from a poor family; he would rather say that she was raised in a rich and prestigious family. Her behavior and manners at least indicated so. He decided to follow her and see for himself.

'_Wait. __Why __am __I __so __curious __about __some __new __girl __all __of __a __sudden? __This __doesn't __make __sense.'_ he , for some reason he felt like he needed to know.

Midori finished her little performance and packed her bag. She dashed to the nearest shop with Marui following (little to her notice). After a while she came out and ran, this time a bit slower, down the road with a packet of products in her hand. Marui did the same but kept a distance to avoid being caught; he didn't want to seem like a stalker or anything after all.

Midori reached a rundown, old, grey in color building. She walked in but Marui stayed outside and waited. He knew this house; a kind lady lived there once and some said that she had a weakness for cats, so she brought any homeless cat into her home and took care of it. The building got burned down a few years ago, the lady died before the fire took place. No one really knew what happened to the poor creatures. Most likely, they became homeless again.

Marui waited for ten minutes and Midori rushed out the house with a wide smile on her face. He noticed that she wasn't holding the packet that she had earlier. His eyes suddenly widened as realization hit him. He waited until Midori was out of sight and dashed towards the house. He opened the door and to his surprise, he was welcomed by several 'meow-s'.

Marui stood there observing the scene for a while; a bunch of cats were eating food left by the aqua green haired teen. He couldn't believe that she was doing this in her spare time. A cat brushed against his left foot causing Marui to look down with the same expression. His eyes slowly softened as he bent down to the creature and patted it. Marui smirked lightly, his eyes starting to glow.

"Such a nice person… Ne, neko-chan?" he said.

Marui wasn't wrong about her. She really had a kind heart, maybe too kind. Somehow he got the feeling that he should watch over her and make sure that she wouldn't get hurt. Midori just seemed too innocent and fragile but still something gave her the strength to shine so brightly.

**Next chapter**

"Disgrace? Those people? You must be mistaken, Hoshimura. Music is for all people to enjoy, no matter where they stand in life. You don't even know the reason why she's doing it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Stopping on the way**

"Man, Sanada is scary as hell." mumbled Marui while rubbing his left cheek.

Sanada had bitch slapped the poor boy after practice because he had run off the previous day. He had to admit Sanada's power had increased for the past few years. His cheek burned like hell!

Marui had just finished cleaning the mess he had left in the locker room previously. He made everything nice and tidy as he promised. All the regulars had already left and no one actually checked on him. He only kept his promise because he didn't want to anger Sanada even more or else his face might go numb someday, even worse, he might have to undergo a plastic surgery.

Marui's eyebrow twitched at the thought alone. He sighed and scratched his head.

"I knew I should've used Hitomi-chan's charms again." he muttered.

Marui locked up the locker rooms. He grabbed his bag and made his way to the gate. He stopped in his pace, when he was passing the school assembly hall. The door was slightly open. He wondered who could still be there at this time.

Marui walked towards the hall and just when he gripped the door handle, he heard the sound of a violin. He stared at the door handle for a while but then his eyes softened as he walked inside. The volley tensai recognized the soothing sound. He knew who it was because he had heard others playing a violin but no one played like that.

Marui was standing at the very end of the hall. He then walked in quietly. His eyes widened as he saw none other than the aqua-green haired girl standing on the stage. Marui already had his suspicion about her being the same person who he saw a few days ago playing such a soothing tune.

Midori had her eyes closed as she moved her upper body softly to the sound.

The self-proclaimed volley prodigy took a seat in the middle row and observed the aqua green haired teen. He rested his chin on his hand and closed his eyes, letting himself disperse into the peaceful sound. He enjoyed every single tune made by Midori's violin. He wouldn't say that he was a music lover of this sort but for the first time he came to enjoy it.

Midori played for quite a while. Marui was so relaxed that he actually didn't notice that Midori ended her piece. She opened her eyes and spotted someone sitting in the middle row. She raised an eyebrow as she then blinked in amusement. She didn't recognize the person from afar. She got down the stage and walked up to the slumbering person.

Marui was still sitting in the same position and had a soft smile on his face. He had a peaceful expression. Midori was already standing next to him and chuckled to herself. She hadn't expected a spectator today. She observed the red headed boy with a gentle glow in her eyes for a while. Midori reached out her hand to his face at first.

A quick flashback of her childhood appeared before her.

**_The little Midori was standing with her violin grasped into her hands tightly as she proclaimed something desperately with determination. No sound of her words came out in this memory. The boy who was the same age as her simply turned around and gave her a warm smile in return._**

The flashback ended. The violinist still had her hand very much close from touching Marui's face.

'_I wonder, if you're the one I'm searching for…'_ she thought, as she then smirked and put her hand onto his shoulder.

"Marui-san." she said softly. She shook him a bit, so that he would wake up. Marui slowly opened his eyes.

"Marui-san, wake up." she said again. Marui finally realized that he had been sleeping. Just when he adjusted his vision, he noticed that there was no one on the stage anymore. He shot his eyes open and in a flash turned to his left only to find Midori standing next to him, giving a wide smile. Marui widened his eyes as he stared at the aqua green haired teen. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"You shouldn't sleep here, you'll catch a cold otherwise." scolded Midori. Marui blinked and then blushed slightly. Midori let out a silent chuckle.

"Why are you still here anyway? Isn't tennis practice over already?" she asked. Marui blinked again and regained his senses. He stared at her in confusion. He thought he didn't mention to her that he played tennis.

"How'd you know that I play tennis?" he asked. Midori chuckled softly again, pointing behind him. Marui turned in that direction and noticed his tennis bag on the floor-slightly leaning against the chair next to him.

"That's a tennis bag, right? So, you must play tennis to carry that thing around." she explained. Marui smirked to himself and turned to her again.

"I see. Yeah, practice is long over. I was about to leave, when I noticed that someone was still here." he said.

"Ah… Oh, it's time for me to lock up." she stated. Marui stood up and took his bag.

"I'll wait outside." he said. Midori blinked as she put her hands in front of her.

"You don't have to. Just go ahead-"

"No, it's okay." he said and walked outside.

Midori put her violin in her case. She then switched all the lights off. She got out and locked the door. Marui stood behind her with his arms behind his head. He popped his chewing gum.

"Kobayashi-san?" he asked. Midori was busy closing her bag to face the red head.

"Hm? What is it?" she inquired.

"Why did you practice here anyway? The music classrooms are available for this purpose." asked Marui out of pure curiosity. Midori closed her bag and froze for a mere second. She then turned to Marui and smiled widely.

"That's, well… The classrooms were occupied, so I asked the teacher for permission to practice here. The acoustic is better here anyway." she said with a slight trembling voice.

Marui looked carefully at her and noticed that the smile was fake. She was hiding something. She couldn't fool him because he knew that there were a lot of music classrooms in Rikkai, even if they were occupied, others would let her practice in the same room, as long as she didn't cause any trouble. Marui frowned mentally and didn't bother questioning the girl anymore.

Midori said that she needed to return the keys to the teacher's room. Marui shrugged his shoulders and said that he'd come along. Midori gave the keys back to the teacher and both teens headed out the school gate. They walked along the road for quite a while when Midori asked why he was walking with her. The volley tensai grinned and said that he lived in that direction.

"Marui-san, why did you stay in the hall?" asked Midori. Marui blew a nice bubble with his chewing gum and talked through it.

"Well, maybe because it was a really beautiful tune. I'm not the type who would listen to this kind of music but I kind of enjoyed your piece." he said. The violinist stared at him for a while, as she then chuckled.

"Really? Was it that good?" she asked in an amused tone. Marui popped his chewing gum and some of it stuck to his nose. He frowned at himself.

"Ah, it was. You even made me fall asleep. It was really relaxing." he said honestly. Well, he was the type who would say things clearly and not hesitate. Midori blushed for a second and laughed happily to herself. Marui glanced at the teen.

"Hm? What? Do I have gum on my face?" he asked checking his cheeks for any piece of gum. Midori just laughed softly and shook her head. She turned to the sugar addict.

"No, no. You're the first one to say that about my violin play. Thank you." she said cheerfully.

Marui blushed when he saw her happy face. He thought that she shined even more when she smiled like that. It kind of made his heart feel warmer. Seeing the aqua green haired teen this happy made him happy as well for some reason.

"By the way, Marui-san, why are you always chewing gum?" she asked all of a sudden. Marui blew another bubble.

"Oh, that's because I like to and it has glucose in it. You see, I run out of stamina pretty fast, so I need to maintain energy somehow. Well, sugar gives a lot of energy that the body absorbs in an instant." he explained. Midori listened carefully to his explanation.

"I see, so that's why you were walking with so many pies and cupcakes the other day." she stated with a wide smile all over her face.

Marui nodded as he popped his chewing gum. It was a big one this time and it got stuck all over his face. He had to get it off with his fingers. Midori chuckled softly to herself. She found the red head adorable of how he constantly blew his chewing gum and popped it.

"Oh, this is where we'll have to part ways." said Midori. She took a few steps towards a turn to another street. Marui blinked.

"Aren't you going to do your little performance today?" he asked.

This question caused Midori to freeze in her pace, staring in shock at the ground. She tried to fake her smile as good as she could.

"W-What do you mean, Marui-san?" she asked fumbling. With no ill intention, Marui took a few steps towards her.

"You, after school, by the river bank, playing the violin for a crowd of people." he said slowly. Midori gasped and her face turned to that of embarrassment.

"H-How did you know?" she asked. Marui widened his eyes as he tried to comprehend as to why the teen got so scared all of a sudden.

"I saw you yesterday right by the river bank." he replied honestly.

Midori gasped once more and in a flash spun around to run away, panic written all over her face. Marui reacted just in time and grabbed her wrist.

"Wait! Why are you running? Did I say something wrong?" he asked with a worried expression.

He didn't let go of her wrist. Midori turned around and realized that she couldn't break free from his tight grip. She looked at him and noticed that he had a confused and worried look. She felt that he didn't mean any harm but could she trust him?

"What's wrong, Kobayashi-san?" he asked as gently as he could.

Marui didn't want to scare her. Midori lowered her eyes as she pondered about it for a few seconds. She sighed and looked up at him again.

"I thought that I found a spot where I could do this without being noticed by the people from Rikkai or those who I know. You see, my family status won't allow me to do something like this. I can't ask for money from my father, so I thought that the least I could do, was to earn it myself. I didn't want anyone else to know. This would be a disgrace to my family name." she said. Marui felt like he could let go of her wrist.

"I know you have a good reason to do this." he said, giving a soft smile. Midori lifted her head and threw a questioning look at him.

"Huh?"

"You're doing this for the poor homeless creatures in the rundown building. You can't ask your father for help because he might decline and you would just feel sad for them." he said. Midori's eyes flushed as she smiled sadly.

"So, you know of this as well, huh?" she asked. Marui blushed at the statement. He then scratched his cheek with his finger.

"Yeah. Sorry, I shouldn't have followed you." he said. Midori took his hand and made a begging expression.

"Promise me, Marui-san, that you won't tell this to anyone else. Please." she begged him. The volley tensai stared at Midori for a few seconds. He then sighed, giving a tiny smile.

"Alright. I promise. I won't tell any other soul about this." he said. Midori's expression started glowing again and she grinned gratefully.

"Thank you." she said. Midori then let go of his hand. The red-headed boy pointed in the direction where the river bank was.

"So, aren't you going?" he asked.

"Well, it's a bit too late for that. There are less people passing by at this time." she said with slight disappointment. Marui smirked.

"Well, you could at least pay a visit to your dear friends." he said. Midori stared at him in surprise and then chuckled.

"Eh, you're right. Will you accompany me?" asked Midori.

Marui smiled widely in return. Both teens then made their way to the old rundown building. Midori could admit that the red head was really friendly. She knew when she first met him, that he was a nice person. She believed that they could become good friends. She at least wanted to, since he already knew her secret.

The both teens reached the grey building and walked inside. They walked to the middle of the room. Soon they heard some 'meow's' ahead. Some of the cats walked around stretching their bodies. Marui and Midori exchanged glances and grinned. The volley tensai then perked up because he felt someone brushing against his left foot. He looked down and spotted the same cat that brushed against him the previous day. Midori blinked when Marui suddenly put down his bag and bent down.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Marui lifted the cat up in front of his face.

"The same cat came up to me yesterday. Right, neko-chan?" he said. Midori smirked softly. She pointed at the cat.

"That's Miru. She seems to like you." she said. Marui glanced at Midori.

"Miru? So, you gave them names?" he asked.

Both teens walked deeper inside and sat down on the floor. Marui took Miru into his lap but the cat seemed to like the volley tensai so much that she jumped up and down, crawling onto his shoulder. Midori sat down casually. She started patting every single one of the cats that came to her.

"No, it's just their names, ne, Claw?" she said patting a grey cat in front of her. "The lady that lived here gave them their names." she explained. Marui scratched Miru's chin.

"Huh… So, you knew the owner of this house?" he asked. Midori's eyes gave off a soft yet sad glow.

"Un. I knew her. When I was still in elementary school my father arranged violin lessons with her. She was the one who taught me. Miyahara Akemi, was her name. Akemi-san was sometimes harsh when I made mistakes but a kind person in heart. Her cats were everything to her. She really had a weakness for them but in reality she was just lonely. Akemi-san was in bad terms with her family and her husband had passed away years ago." said Midori.

Marui's expression softened and noticed that Miru was already sound asleep in his lap. Midori then chuckled at Claw, who was brushing against her hand.

"Every time I came to her house I found that there was a new cat in the house. As time passed, this house got populated by them. These guys were my very first spectators, as well as Akemi-san." said Midori in a sad tone this time.

"I wasn't here when Akemi-san passed away, so it was kind of a shock for me when I found out. When I heard of a fire that took place in this house, I got terrified because I couldn't imagine what I would do if something happened to her one and only treasure. But thank goodness that nothing happened to them. They seemed to have gotten out of the house just in time." she said with a sigh of relief.

Midori smiled softly, which caused Marui to do the same.

"So, you felt like it was your responsibility to look after them." said Marui after listening to the whole story.

"Un." nodded Midori. Marui looked around the house and sighed in astonishment.

"Even so, I'm surprised that the cats stayed here despite the fact that their owner is no longer here." he said. Midori let out a silent chuckle.

"They loved her very much and I believe that it isn't the place that binds them but the warm feeling that is called 'home'." said Midori smiling widely at the red head.

Marui stared at the aqua green haired teen. For some reason he wanted to embrace her and feel the warmth that she was giving off right now. He had never met a girl like her before. In his eyes she was always shining. Her dark golden eyes were so gentle that he felt his chest might melt by one look alone.

Both teens finally stood up and walked out of the building. The sun had almost reached the horizon. It was slowly getting dark.

"It's better to get going now. I'll get scolded by father otherwise." said Midori.

"I'll walk you home." he offered. Midori put her hand in front of her, in an effort to refuse.

"No, you don't have to-"

"It's okay. Besides, it's dangerous for a girl to walk alone in the dark." he explained.

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't sweat it. I might seem to be suspicious but I seriously have no ill intentions." said Marui. Midori blinked at his statement and then laughed softly. Marui blinked in confusion.

"People would usually say: I'm no one suspicious." she said.

"Well, if I said that I'm no one suspicious wouldn't it make me even more suspicious? Because only suspicious people say that they're not suspicious." explained Marui. He then made a confused look again because Midori started laughing.

"True. Marui-san, you're really funny sometimes." said Midori holding back her laughs. Marui blinked stupidly.

"Huh… Did I just say something funny?" he asked. Midori chuckled one last time and waved with her hand.

"No, don't mind me. I would have never thought of you as someone suspicious. I just didn't want to trouble you, that's all." she said. Marui smirked.

"It's fine, Kobayashi-san. I always take the long road home anyways." said the red-head. Midori grinned widely and pointed behind him.

"I live in that direction." she said.

Both teens then started walking. They talked about various things until they reached Midori's house. Marui told her about their team and his teammates. Midori already knew two of them: Hiroshi and Niou. She laughed softly when he mentioned Sanada and his recent angry state. Midori said that their tennis team seemed like a family. Marui agreed with a grin. They really did act like a family sometimes.

Soon both teens parted ways. Midori thanked him for today, saying that she had fun with him. She bowed and then sent him off with a smile. Marui walked for 15 minutes, took a few turns and he was home. He never thought that he would befriend a new girl in school within a few days. Somehow, he liked the thought…

* * *

><p>Next day<p>

"Say, Bunta-kun? How did it go with the clean up?" asked Hitomi walking next to the said red-headed teen. They were on their way to the cafeteria. It was lunch break and the two always had lunch together.

"Well, it was fun." said Marui indifferently, not looking at the purple head. Hitomi in a flash turned her attention to the volley tensai.

"Huh? Fun?" she asked slightly raising her voice by a tone.

Marui didn't answer because he was busy thinking of what he should eat. Hitomi blinked stupidly and sighed.

'_How could cleaning a mere locker room be fun?'_ pondered Hitomi.

Both teens walked into the cafeteria. Marui then stopped short when he saw Midori being targeted by the two dirty beasts from Niou's class, Kou and Hideki. The two boys were smiling innocently and asking the aqua-green haired violinist random questions, trying to hook her up for their dirty games. Midori felt violated by the two boys because they were a bit too close to her. She tried to refuse them politely but they didn't let her even say a word.

Marui frowned as he didn't like the scene in front of him. Hitomi noticed what was going on and got worried about the aqua green haired teen. She liked the girl. Marui twitched and made his way to the three teens. The purpled head followed Marui.

"Hey, beautiful, have some coffee with us." offered Hideki.

Midori's head shot from side to side. She was at a loss of what to do and was really uncomfortable around them.

"N-No, I just-" she said stumbling for words.

"Come on. We won't bite." said Kou this time and leaned closer to her face. Midori didn't like the look in his eyes. It scared her.

"Hey, you two! Can't you see that she's uncomfortable with you guys around?" asked Marui in a slight arrogant tone.

He stopped just a few feet away from the three teens. Hitomi stood right behind Marui, so that she could prevent any trouble from surfacing. Kou turned his attention to Marui, as a sinister glare formed on his face.

"She doesn't want to have lunch with the likes of you, right, Kobayashi-san?" stated Marui switching to the aqua green haired teen. Midori shot her head in his direction.

"Y-Yes." she said.

The volley tensai switched back to Kou who had already advanced towards him, stopping a few steps from the him. Marui grinned innocently.

"There you have it." he said smiling at Kou but then narrowed his eyes and said in a serious tone. "Now get lost." Kou twitched.

"Hey, we were just talking to our classmate-" started Hideki with a shiny smile but got cut off by Kou instead.

"You prick, that's my line. Get lost before I break every single bone in your puny body." grunted Kou.

Both teens stared each other off. Hitomi sensed heat rising between them.

Just then Niou came into the cafeteria, with Azumi by his side. He stopped short at the sight of Marui and Kou glaring face to face. He spotted Hitomi just a few steps behind Marui. He frowned and then sighed. He had to prevent any trouble because he knew Kou well enough. Kou couldn't stand Marui and the two would get into fights. Even though Kou looked tough, he didn't scare Marui. No, Marui hated that guy to the bone.

"Sorry, Azumi-chan. This will take a minute." he said, making his way towards Kou and Marui.

Marui smirked at the black haired teen in front of him.

"You can't imagine how many times I've heard this coming from you. Somehow I'm still in one piece." said Marui arrogantly.

Kou felt a vein pop on his forehead. He was about to grab Marui's collar but then stopped, when he noticed Hitomi behind him.

Kou grinned evilly as he passed by the red head, as if he had no interest in him. Marui blinked in confusion. Hitomi's head shot up when Kou just in a flash already stood in front of her.

"Hey, Hitomi-san." said Kou in a soft tone.

Hitomi felt her body go rigid from the sound of his voice. It sent shivers down her spine, when he grinned at her. Just his presence alone gave her the wish to block that guy from her.

Kou reached out his hand and took a strand of her silky hair that hung down her shoulders.

"Let's diss this guy and join us for lunch-" Kou stopped in mid sentence when he felt his wrist being gripped tightly by someone. He turned his head to his right and noticed Niou. Hitomi did the same and widened her eyes at the sight of Niou holding Kou's wrist tightly. The silver haired boy then slowly took Kou's hand away from her.

"Niou-kun?" said Hitomi silently. The trickster turned his attention to the purple head next to him.

"Say, Hitomi-chan, any problems here?" he asked seriously. Hitomi blushed.

"N-Not really." she said shyly.

"That's right-" started Kou but then stopped because Niou slowly turned to him and narrowed his eyes.

The black haired teen frowned. The trickster took a few steps forward and stopped right in front of him. His eyes sent a deadly warning. It was a murderous glare.

"It seems you have forgotten what I told you a few days ago, Kou." said Niou slowly. He glared at the said teen for a few seconds, when the meaning of his words finally clicked, causing Kou to yank his wrist out of Niou's grasp and stomping away. Hideki sighed as he followed his friend's example.

Midori sighed in relief. Just then Marui came up to her.

"Sorry about that. It's how those guys are." said Marui. Midori smiled softly at him.

"It's okay. I'm fine. Thank you." she said. Marui sighed at the aqua green haired teen.

"I suggest you'd keep a distance from them." he warned.

"Huh…" responded Midori absent minded. She glanced at Niou who still had an angry look on his face. It caught Midori's attention on how the trickster acted around Hitomi.

Niou sighed and his expression changed to a cheerful one. He spun around, walking up to Hitomi. He put his hand on her head and patted it, with a wide smile. This caused Hitomi to go red in the face.

"If he bothers you again, don't hesitate to call for me." he said.

"O-Okay." said Hitomi becoming even redder.

"See ya!" Niou grinned as he waved at her, walking back to Azumi.

Midori blinked at his sudden change. Did he have to get this angry? Kou didn't even get to bother her, when Niou withdrew his hand from Hitomi. Midori widened her eyes at the thought as her previous suspicion became clear. Still, she was not sure if it was true.

"Even so, why didn't you just tell them to leave you alone or something? You could've just walked away." commented Marui.

Midori spun around, facing Marui. She made a fake grin and sweat dropped.

"Ah, well… I was confused and couldn't just say a thing." she said.

Marui looked at the teen suspiciously. It seemed otherwise to him. He thought that Midori just didn't have the courage to stand up for herself. He frowned and offered to have lunch together with him and Hitomi. Midori agreed and the three teens sat at one table chatting cheerfully.

* * *

><p>Afternoon before club activities<p>

Marui was still in his classroom. He packed his stuff and grabbed his tennis bag. He was about to walk out the classroom, when Aya rushed to one of her classmates.

"Hey, you've got to see this! There is some trouble in front of the music classrooms." said Aya eagerly. The girl in front of her blinked in confusion.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"No time to explain. Hoshimura Noriko has snapped on a new girl. Just come along!" exclaimed Aya and dragged her classmate with her.

This caught Marui's attention. He then followed them as well. He twitched along the way. He had a bad feeling about this. There was only one girl who came to his mind. He couldn't think of any other person, who would get picked on this easily. If Midori faced Noriko right now, then things could get serious. He hoped he was wrong.

Marui followed the two girls through the hallway. They took a right turn and stopped. A crowed formed in front of one of the classrooms. They were mostly from the other music classrooms and didn't dare to interfere with Noriko. She was a National violinist and the president of the student council. She was easy to irritate and hated it when people disgraced Rikkai.

Marui stood behind a few people. Noriko was currently grunting at Midori with an arrogant voice and loud enough for everyone to hear.

"How dare you demand to practice in this room? You should just go and perform with your little violin on the streets!" growled Noriko.

Midori lowered her head, as she widened her eyes. She stared into the floor. Noriko snarled and made an even more arrogant expression.

"What? Surprised? You thought that no one would see you there? Such a disgrace to Rikkai! Didn't you know that playing the violin is for high class people? You disgust me." said Noriko making a face of repulsion. Midori just stared into the ground almost not hearing what the brown haired teen was saying. Marui stared in shock at the aqua green haired teen.

'_What are you standing around for? Just say something! She has no right to say something like that.'_ thought Marui.

He gritted his teeth. Why wouldn't she stand up for herself? Just taking all the blame on herself won't help anyone. He knew she was kindhearted but she was just too kind.

Noriko's eyes switched to the violin case that Midori held in her hand. She reached out to it and grabbed it roughly.

"You don't even have the right to posses this instrument. To make such a beautiful sound with those dirty hands of yours." grunted Noriko. Midori raised her head when she felt a rough grip on her case. She didn't let go and gripped it even tighter.

"Let go-" started Midori but then got thrown roughly to the ground along with her violin case. Midori found herself sitting on the ground. She squinted her eyes in pain.

Marui couldn't take this anymore and pushed through the crowed. He didn't care; this was just going too far.

Midori tried to get up but stopped, switching her gaze to her violin that got yanked to the ground along with her. Her expression saddened as she reached her left hand to the violin. Noriko narrowed her eyes and advanced towards the aqua green haired teen. She lifted her foot and was about to stomp on Midori's hand, when she was stopped by someone's hand.

"You know that violinist's hands are something they treasure, Hoshimura." said Marui in a serious tone. He had kneeled down to Midori and pulled Noriko's foot away from Midori's hand. Noriko took a few steps away, when Marui glared at Noriko.

"M-Marui-san…" gasped Noriko. She hadn't expected him to step up. Midori widened her eyes and stared at the volley tensai. He helped her up, giving a soft yet tiny smile.

"Are you okay, Kobayashi-san?" he asked. Midori stared at him.

"Yes. Marui-san, why are you-" she started but didn't get to finish when Noriko cut in.

"Marui-san, why did you interfere?" asked Noriko in a serious tone.

Marui turned towards the brown haired teen. He kept his serious look and glared intently at Noriko.

"What you just said about her has nothing to do with her wanting to practice. You had no right to say such things to her." said Marui. Noriko snarled.

"She's at fault. Disgracing Rikkai by playing on the street for the likes of those people." grunted Noriko.

"Disgrace? Those people? You must be mistaken, Hoshimura. Music is for all people to enjoy, no matter where they stand in life. You don't even know the reason why she's doing it." said Marui. Noriko smirked evilly.

"Ou… Then I suppose you know, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do know. And it's a good reason." he retorted. Midori gripped his hand, worry written all over her face.

"Marui-san-" she gasped but Marui lifted his other hand in an effort to reassure her.

"Care to tell me then? Maybe then I'll reconsider." said Noriko arrogantly.

"I don't have that right either. It's her own business and her choice to keep it to herself." said Marui. Midori smiled softly at the red head and was thankful for not telling. Noriko twitched.

"That's why, I suggest you'd stop your bitching and apologize to her." said Marui again. Noriko snapped.

"Like hell! She will only bother us with her trashy sound!" hollered Noriko pointing at said girl. Marui smirked in amusement.

"Ou… Is that so? Or is it because you're scared that she might beat you in the upcoming contest?" he asked. Noriko cackled at the statement.

"Ha! Her? Beat me? There is no way a no-name like her would beat the National champion!" stated Noriko laughing arrogantly.

"That's not quite true, Hoshimura-san." said a deep voice coming from behind.

Marui turned his head that direction, spotting Yagyuu adjusting his glasses and making his way to the teens.

"Yagyuu?" asked Marui. Midori blinked in surprise when Hiroshi stopped next to her.

"What's that supposed to mean, Yagyuu-san?" asked Noriko.

She didn't expect HIM being here. Why the hell were there already two tennis regulars hanging around Midori? Hiroshi placed his left hand gently on Midori's shoulder.

"Kobayashi-san is well known for her splendid violin skills. She's actually the daughter of the famous composer Kobayashi Fumio. You of all people should have heard of him." said Hiroshi.

Midori's eyes flushed, as she turned her head away sadly. Noriko blinked in confusion.

"Yes, I've heard of him. Then tell me why haven't I ever heard of her?" asked Noriko. Hiroshi adjusted his glasses again.

"Well, because for the passed few years she was in England. Her father got an offer to compose some soundtracks for several movies. Meanwhile, his daughter was busy developing her violin play. She's won quite an amount of contests and she was offered to go worldwide but refused for some odd reason." explained Hiroshi. He then looked at the aqua green haired teen, who was constantly looking at the ground.

Marui blinked. "Huh… No wonder, I thought I heard her name somewhere." he mumbled. Noriko cackled again.

"Ha! Those are just speculations. You think she could be better than me? Prove it! I bet the reason why she refused such an opportunity was because of her pathetic play." stated Noriko.

Marui felt a vein pop on his forehead. She was getting on his nerves. How could one person be so obstinate?

"You're really persistent, aren't you? Fine, let's have a showdown. She'll prove that you were wrong." said Marui with a challenging tone. Midori raised her head as she gripped into his hand again.

"Marui-san, don't-" she was cut off by Noriko, who raised her eyebrows and smirked evilly.

"Ou… So you're challenging me? I accept it. On one condition…" she said. Marui narrowed his eyes.

"That would be?" he asked. Noriko's grin got more sinister. She had something in mind.

"You know, Marui-san, there is always a prize for the winner. And what I would want is your assistance." she said pointing at said boy. The volley tensai glared at her.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked. Noriko grinned even more.

"You know exactly what I want from you." she stated.

Marui's eyebrow twitched. He knew. He had rejected her request before and no matter how many times she pleaded, he declined. It didn't seem that she had interest in him as a man. She didn't have a crush on him; she just wanted something else from him. Something that only he could satisfy her with. Marui smirked in return.

"Fine. I'll do whatever you ask. In return, if you concede defeat, you will never mention seeing her somewhere on the streets to anyone." said Marui.

Midori's face turned to a terrified one. Why did he agree to that? He had nothing to do with this. Why would he put himself on the line for her?

"Okay, deal. Here are the conditions: tomorrow after classes, be at the school statue and not a minute late. I will be the one to judge your play and I will make you go through every classical piece." said Noriko, sending a final glare first at Midori and then at Marui.

"Hn!" grunted Marui.

The crowed scattered to spread the news about the showdown. Hiroshi bent down and put her violin back into her case. Marui looked at the girl next to him. The violinist was still holding his hand, trembling. Her eyes were hidden under her bangs.

"Here you go, Kobayashi-san." said Hiroshi, handing her violin case.

"Why?" she asked. Both Hiroshi and Marui blinked.

"Huh? What?" asked Marui.

"Why did you have to involve yourself into this? This has nothing to do with you." she said and raised her head, staring straight at the red head. She wore a panic stricken expression. Marui widened his eyes and stared back.

"What if I lose and you will have to do something against your own will?" she asked. Marui sighed.

"It's alright. You won't lose. Her violin play sucks, compared to yours. Remember, you even made me fall asleep. Don't worry." he said with a wide grin. Midori made a flushed expression again and looked away.

"If you say so…" she mumbled. The volley tensai grinned wider and patted her head with his free hand (she still gripped onto his right hand).

"Well, there you have it. Don't forget, tomorrow after classes are over, by the statue." he said cheerfully.

"Okay." she said silently. The teens stood in dead silence for a few seconds.

"Umm…" started Marui. Midori raised her head once again, throwing a questioning look at him.

"Hm? What is it?" she asked. Marui pointed at his right hand, sweat dropping.

"You can let go now." he said.

Midori blushed as she let his hand go in a flash. The volley tensai checked his hand.

"Sorry. I was worried and just…" said Midori still blushing.

"Yeah, for a moment there I thought you might crush my hand." he said. Midori blushed even more and started fumbling.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." she said shyly. The red head chuckled and waved his hand.

"It's okay. See? It's perfectly fine." he reassured. Hiroshi handed her the violin case and started pulling Marui with him.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Kobayashi-san. Saa, let's go, Marui-kun." said the purple head. Marui blinked stupidly, glancing at Hiroshi.

"Huh? Yagyuu, you don't have to pull, you know." he said sighing. Hiroshi glared at Marui, which caused the red head to sweat drop.

"I believe I do. Sanada was already angry when he sent me to look for you. Imagine how furious he must be now." stated Hiroshi.

Marui sighed. He didn't want to imagine how many laps he will have to run.

"Well, see ya, Kobayashi!" Marui waved in good bye as he dashed off along with Hiroshi.

Midori raised her hand and waved slightly. She plastered a grin as wide as she could but it disappeared right after the two teens were out of sight. She sighed and made a flushed expression, already thinking about the next day. She came to this school not too long ago and got into trouble already. Above all, she dragged someone else into this.

'_I wonder what Hoshimura-san meant by 'assistance'…'_ thought Midori, as an idea struck her already. She probably was guessing right.

**Next chapter**

"You could never tell by her looks that she'd play such a piece."

"Ah, like an image of an angel summoning the devil himself."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

**Afternoon glow**

The next day

It was lunch break and Marui was walking through the hallway to his classroom. He had left Hitomi with her brother. He almost reached his class, when he stopped in his pace. He looked out the window and spotted Midori sitting on one of the benches. She was staring at her violin case with a rather troubled look on her face.

Marui sighed, as he then walked into his classroom. He grabbed one of his cakes and walked out again. He had been planning to eat it after lunch anyway. So, he made his way to Midori.

Midori sat outside the building on a bench. She opened her violin case, as she continued to stare at the instrument inside. Her eyes gave off a soft, yet sad glow. She sighed and then closed it.

"I knew it. I just can't do this." she muttered to herself. Just then, Marui walked up to her.

"Nervous?" he asked. Midori perked up and then turned her head towards the red head.

"Marui-san." she said in surprise. Marui grinned widely, as he raised his hand.

"Hey. Why are you sitting here all alone?" he asked while taking a seat next to her. Midori followed him with her eyes until he sat down. She then started staring at the violin case again. Marui sighed and looked up at the sky.

"Why won't you stand up for yourself?" he asked. Midori gripped tighter onto her violin case, as she felt a bit tense.

"It's not that I'm scared. It's just that I don't have much confidence in myself. Every time I want to say something in return, my body freezes and refuses to listen to me. Then I think, what if I say something harsh in return, won't that person feel bad? What will be left for me then? I'm just afraid to hurt others and myself. Eventually, I end up involving other people into this. Even now, I got you involved…" she said. Marui stared at the girl next to him, as he then let out an exasperated sigh.

"So that's what you're so depressed about? I told you before, don't worry about it. You won't lose to her." he said with a smile. Midori sighed silently.

"It's not about winning or losing. To be more precise, I'm afraid of the performance itself." she said. Marui blinked stupidly.

"Huh? How can that be? Haven't you won a lot of contests in the past? You were performing in front of people. How can you be scared?" he asked confused. Midori sighed yet again.

"That's the problem. It wasn't a performance that depended on my results, I just did it because I enjoyed it. I didn't care where I would end up being, I just played the violin, so that others could enjoy it the same way I did. But this time…" Midori lowered her head even more. Marui stared at Midori for a while but then chuckled. Midori raised her head in an instant and then turned it to the chuckling volley tensai. She was confused.

"Don't worry. Just play like you always do and everything will be just fine." said Marui with a reassuring smile.

"But Hoshimura-san will be judging and if I don't convince her, then you'll-" said Midori but didn't get to finish her sentence because Marui placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling widely.

"Don't sweat it. Just have more confidence in yourself." he said. Midori looked away again.

"I just don't have it…" she mumbled. Marui smirked and then blew a bubble, popping it right afterwards.

"Actually you do. You just don't notice it." he said. Midori shot her head in his direction yet again.

"Huh?"

"You said it yourself. When you play the violin you let everyone else enjoy it the same way you do. You enjoy it and that's when your confident." he said. Midori got confused at first but then understood what he meant and smiled to herself.

"Eh, maybe it's like that…" she mumbled but then she chuckled and smiled widely, turning to Marui. "You're right. I feel better now. Thank you." she said. Marui smiled softly in return.

"Eh, do you're best today and don't think about others." he reminded. Midori nodded. The red head then pulled out his cake that he brought with him.

"I wanted to eat this during lunch. Wanna try?" he asked.

"Sure, why not?" she said chuckling at the boy. Marui opened the pack and it revealed a rather big piece of a whipped creamed cake with a strawberry on top. Midori's eyes sparkled.

"Maa, looks good." she wailed. Marui handed her a plastic fork, telling her to try it. The violinist took up his invitation and tasted it. She then said it was really good. Marui noticed that the teen was constantly staring at the strawberry.

"Do you like strawberries?" he asked. Midori blushed slightly, as the boy had guessed right.

"Eh, I love them. May I?" she asked politely.

Marui stared at her for a second. He then grinned at the aqua green haired teen and said that she could go ahead. He thought that she was cute when he saw that she was so fond of strawberries. They spent the rest of the lunch break together and before they knew it, the afternoon classes were already here.

* * *

><p>Afternoon, right before the club activities<p>

Midori was standing right at the school statue. She had her violin taken out, as she waited for Noriko to come. There were some onlookers already there (those who got the news about the showdown). Midori sighed, as she shot her eyes to the ground. She got somehow discouraged and nervous. Just then the red headed volley tensai came up.

"Yo, Kobayashi. Why the long face? I thought you were into this." said Marui smiling as usual. Midori raised her head and a smile appeared the instant she saw Marui.

"No, just a bit nervous. I thought you wouldn't come. Hasn't tennis practice started yet?" she asked. Marui blinked for a second but then smiled.

"Our practice starts a bit later. I just couldn't miss this. Just relax and play your violin like you always do." he said in a reassuring tone.

Midori's eyes started glowing, as she smiled softly. She got encouraged by Marui's words and wanted to do something for him. The least that she could do now was to follow his words and don't give up.

"I see you came, Kobayashi-san." said Noriko with an arrogant expression already decorating her face. Both Marui and Midori turned to the brown haired teen.

"Hello, Marui-san. This will take a while. Don't run off after this ends, I will have you help me out with some things." she said in a sinister tone. Marui's eyebrow twitched. He then smirked and popped his chewing gum.

"Hn. We'll see about that." he said smirking in full confidence at Noriko. "Good luck, Kobayashi." he patted Midori lightly on the shoulder. He walked to the side, becoming a spectator this time.

The crowd grew by the second. The tennis regulars were also there. They got curious about it, as some of them just thought of killing time before practice. Hitomi pushed through the crowd to find her friend Marui. Niou and Hiroshi stood right across them on the other side.

"I'll let you start off with a classical piece of your liking. You may start, whenever you're ready." said Noriko, as she smirked evilly. Midori took her stance. Taking a deep breath, she started playing a slow tune. It had a soft sound. Some of the spectators whispered to each other.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's one of the 'Four Seasons' by Vivaldi." said one teen.

"Eh." the one next to him agreed.

"Winter…" whispered Marui more to himself than anyone else. Hitomi threw a surprised look at him.

'_Bunta-kun?'_ Hitomi asked to herself.

Noriko's eyebrow twitched. "Okay, stop. Everyone can play Vivaldi's 'Winter' in largo (very slow). Don't give me the elementary school level." said Noriko. Midori stopped playing and looked at her, waiting for her request.

Just then Hitomi widened her eyes, as she then stared at Marui. He actually got the theme right. She got suspicious.

Noriko grinned evilly. "I told you before, I will make you go through every classical piece that comes to my mind. Let's start then." she said. Midori put her violin to her chin. Noriko blinked in stupidity. She had thought that the aqua green haired teen might pull out some notes or something.

"Hey, don't you need notes for that? Don't tell me you've memorized every single one of them?" asked Noriko with slight sarcasm. Midori glanced quickly at her but just as quick cast her gaze back to her violin.

"Yeah, something like that." said Midori indifferently. Noriko gritted her teeth.

"Fine. Handel's 'Minuet'." demanded Noriko. Midori took her stance and started playing the requested song. Some of the spectators whispered again. She was good, they had to admit. Noriko smirked, as she stopped her.

"Paganini's 'Caprice'." was Noriko's next request.

Midori only got to stop for a short while but switched to that song right away. Noriko widened her eyes, as she stared at the girl playing the violin. She didn't expect her to change to a song so quickly. Midori didn't even think about it. The onlookers were also awed by this. Midori followed the tune and the rhythm perfectly.

Noriko got already irritated and this time named a piece while Midori was still playing.

"Vivaldi's 'Summer' in presto (very fast)." barked Noriko.

Midori lifted her eyes for a second. She then made an interval and switched to the requested song. It changed to a much faster tune. The spectators couldn't follow the movement of her hands.

Noriko gritted her teeth. This ticked her off. She would not accept anyone better than her. She was the only one who could play this piece perfectly or so she thought. Noriko plastered a sinister smirk and narrowed her eyes. She already had something in mind.

"Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue' in D minor." announced Noriko, as she folded her hands. Some of the by standing musicians exchanged glances in surprise. Noriko smirked victoriously because this one was not easy to play.

Hitomi looked around and noticed some of the spectator's confused looks. She switched her gaze to Marui and noticed that the red head had a serious look on his face. He knew that this one was hard. He glared at Noriko but then glanced at Midori who already made a slight interval and switched to the song. Marui widened his eyes, as he opened his mouth in surprise.

Noriko's expression turned to that of disbelief and shock. She unfolded her arms. The brown haired teen started boiling in anger. She made a furious face expression. She balled her hands into fists and pointed at Midori.

"Violin Sonata in G minor!" echoed Noriko's voice through the song.

Midori widened her eyes. She then stopped playing, finishing in mid song. She didn't ruin the last sound. No, she just slowed it down. There was dead silence for a while until Noriko smirked arrogantly, putting her hands on her waist.

"What's wrong? Afraid of the 'Devil's Trill'?" she cackled. Midori stared at her violin with a soft expression. The onlookers exchanged glances again and whispered to each other. Hiroshi adjusted his glasses.

"The Devil's Trill, huh?" he mumbled. Marui widened his eyes but then glared at Noriko.

"Hey! You're doing that on purpose! You can't even play it yourself that you make her play it!" called out Marui to Noriko. The brown haired teen smirked.

"Ha! It's your fault for even trusting her." retorted Noriko. Marui gritted his teeth.

"What was that?!" he started but stopped to give her a proper retort because Midori started to play again. He slowly turned to her, as he recognized the sound.

'_The Devil's Trill…'_ he gasped in his thoughts. He stared at the aqua green haired girl in shock. It started with a slow intro and continued with a fast tune.

Noriko stared at the teen in shock. She couldn't move. She froze and stared.

"I can't believe that girl is playing the Devil's Trill." said one teen behind Noriko.

"Ah, to be able to play it at this level. Even Hoshimura-san has problems with it." said another one.

"You could never tell by her looks that she'd play such a piece." said Sanada.

"Ah, like an image of an angel summoning the devil himself." commented Yukimura.

"Cool song." said Akaya. Jackal sweat dropped and glanced at the curly haired teen.

"You only said that because of the title." said Jackal. Akaya grinned back at him, causing the dark skinned teen to sigh.

Midori was near the end of the song, when she noticed that Noriko didn't request anything else, more precisely, she couldn't. So, Midori made another interval in between and started playing a peaceful tune. It was calm and relaxing. The aqua green haired teen opened her eyes just a bit and noticed the peaceful and soft expressions surrounding her.

Marui smiled to himself, as he then chuckled softly at Midori, his eyes still on her. Hitomi closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze.

"Such a gentle sound…" said Hitomi, smiling to herself.

On the other hand, Niou stared at the purple head right across the space. He watched Hitomi with a gentle look, as he just couldn't help it. He couldn't look away because at the moment, with the violin in the background, she was the only one he could think about. He just wanted to watch her from that distance.

Midori glimpsed at Niou and then at Hitomi. She then smirked softly to herself. She finally noticed it. Those two loved each other and she knew it now.

'_I'll call this song 'Hitomi' then.'_ she thought. After a short while Midori stopped playing. Just when she opened her eyes, she heard a round of applause from the crowd. She stared around and then smiled. Marui walked up to her and placed his hand onto her shoulder. He grinned widely.

"See? I told you everything would be fine. Everyone enjoyed it. You were great." he said. This caused Midori to blush a shade of red. She then smiled back at him. Marui then turned to Noriko, who had her head slightly lowered. She was still angry. The red head took a few steps forward.

"I believe that the results are clear enough, Hoshimura. I hope you follow your side of the deal and never mention to anyone about Kobayashi's matter. That goes to everyone here! Got it?!" he called out louder and looked around. The onlookers nodded in agreement. Marui smirked and then turned his attention again to Noriko.

"Shut up. I will not accept this." she muttered to herself. Marui turned serious this time.

"Saa, let's hear it then, Hoshimura." he said. Midori walked up to the red head. She wanted to stop him from causing a disaster.

"Just shut up! I will not accept this!" hollered Noriko and slapped Marui. Midori gasped and stared in shock. She couldn't believe that Noriko used those hands to hurt someone. This made Midori angry and sad at the same time. Something snapped inside of her, as she rushed towards the two teens.

"Hn. What a sore loser you are. Just admit it." said Marui turning back to Noriko with an arrogant smirk. Noriko got infuriated and raised her hand to land another one.

"Shut up!" she yelled but before her hand reached Marui's face, it got stopped.

Midori held her wrist, as she made an angry face. Marui blinked and glanced at the aqua green haired girl next to him. He had never expected her to become angry. He couldn't even imagine her having that expression full of anger and sadness.

"What are you doing?" asked Midori in a serious tone. Noriko froze and stared at the teen. "How dare you use these hands to hurt someone?!" Midori raised her voice by a tone and pushed Noriko's hand aside.

"These hands are meant to create the sound that we want others to hear. Yet you use them to hurt someone. It's like hurting the violin itself. You and I are both well aware that the violinist's hands are their only treasure. No, it's our other soul. That's why you shouldn't use them to cause pain. It will only soil your soul." said Midori in a serious tone, yet there could be sadness and pity detected in her voice.

Everyone stared at Midori in dead silence, even Noriko. Her words finally sunk in and she made a flushed expression.

Midori was still angry. She glanced at Marui and noticed that his left cheek was a bit red from the slap. Midori suddenly grabbed Marui's wrist and dragged him towards the washbasins. The crowd slowly scattered and left Noriko to think about her actions.

* * *

><p>Both teens sat on a bench. Midori had told him to sit down, while she took out her handkerchief and placed it under the cold water. She then sat down in front of him and put it onto his slightly swollen cheek. Marui squinted his eyes in pain. That damned Sanada was at fault because of this pain. He had received a slap from his fuku-buchou two days ago.<p>

"Gomen. Does it still hurt?" asked Midori with worry written all over her face. She placed the piece of cloth as gently as she could. Marui smirked lightly.

"Iie, arigatou. Even so, I'm surprised that you actually got angry at her. I was wondering how you would look like when you get pissed." he said. Midori blushed at his statement and looked away.

"Well, I just didn't like that she raised a hand against someone. Especially such a nice person as Marui-san." she said timidly. Marui chuckled.

"You're the kind one, Kobayashi." he said. Midori blinked at him in confusion.

"Even too kind. Even though you could tell her off real good or yell at her or whatever, you still gave her a proper lecture and left her to realize what she was doing." he said with a soft smile. Midori looked away.

"You think so? I guess I wanted her to see her mistake and change it before it's too late. It would be a pity if such a good violinist disappeared." explained Midori. The red head smirked lightly. Midori then stood up and placed the cloth under cold water again. She sat down again and placed it onto Marui's cheek.

"Anoo, Marui-san?" she started.

"Hm? Nani?" he asked.

"There is something that I wanted to ask you since yesterday. If I had lost, what was it that you would have to do for Hoshimura-san?" she asked. Marui raised his eyebrows.

"I noticed that you knew the classical pieces that I played and even recognized the Devil's Trill. Does you knowing this has something to do with Hoshimura-san's request?" asked Midori once again. Marui sighed.

"Ah, it does. I used to play the piano in elementary school and Junior High. When I was in my second year in Junior High, I finally quit it and focused on tennis." he said.

"Why did you quit?"

"Because I got fed up with it. Well, I wasn't bad at it and even competed in several contests. When Hoshimura heard me play the piano once, she found me good at it and asked me to be her accompaniment for her violin. I declined and ever since she won't stop begging me to do it. I heard her play a million times and that's why I said that you wouldn't lose. I might not look like it but I do have some sense in music." he said. Midori stared at the red head. She took away her handkerchief from his cheek.

"I see. But if-"

"Even if you had lost, it wouldn't have been a big deal for me. I guess I have to thank you anyway." he said grinning at her. Midori chuckled slightly.

"I really didn't do anything. I should be thanking you instead for the encouragement." she said.

"No problem. Still, I'm glad you finally found the courage to stand up for yourself." said Marui and put his hand on her head. Midori blushed and blinked.

"Iie, I didn't. I thought I stood up for you instead." she said. Marui chuckled.

"No, you did it for yourself as well." he said. Midori blinked in confusion.

"No, that's not-" Marui cut her off.

"When you stood up for me, you already did it because you didn't like it and her actions hurt you. You protected your beliefs and feelings. Protecting your friends is the same as standing up for yourself." he said with a wide smile. Midori blushed and lowered her head. Her eyes started glowing.

"Friends, huh?" she mumbled and then raised her head. "Then… We're friends, right?" she asked with uncertainty. Marui smirked gently.

"Of course we are. Don't you want me as your friend?" he asked.

"Iie, quite the opposite. I would love to be friends with you." she said with a shining smile. Marui was happy at her reply.

"Then I'll call you 'Midori-chan', is that okay?" he asked politely. Midori nodded.

"You can call me Bunta, if you want to." he said. The aqua green haired teen shook her head gently and grinned.

"Iie, I'll call you 'Marui-kun'. I'm not used to calling someone by their names in such a short period of time. I hope that's okay with you…" she said timidly. Marui laughed to himself and agreed. He then perked up, when he felt a dark and menacing aura coming from the courts. He sweat dropped.

'_Sanada…'_ he thought. He stood up in a flash and grabbed his bag.

"I have to get to practice or I'm dead. I'll see you next week, Midori-chan!" he called out and waved while dashing towards the courts.

Midori waved in return and chuckled to herself. She started to like it here in Rikkai. She thought that she wouldn't get to meet anyone who would want to be friends with her. She was even surprised that the volley tensai was so friendly to her. They had become friends and she was happy that he gave her the courage that she needed.


End file.
